


Grofflin One-Shots

by SensualPancake



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Grofflin, Hamilton - Freeform, Jonalin, M/M, One-Shots, Short Stories, m/m - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 22:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20535695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SensualPancake/pseuds/SensualPancake
Summary: just some grofflin one-shots i've written over the last two years1. drunk history grofflin2. nintendo grofflin3. birthday grofflin4. dog-sitting grofflin5. flower shop grofflin6. baseball game grofflin7. in the works





	1. Chapter 1

It was considerably late when Jonathan heard his phone ringing from the other room. He fumbled to finish brushing his teeth and raced out of the bathroom, the faucet still running, to check his phone. He slid across the hardwood floor of his living room Risky Business style, almost toppling over the back of his couch. His phone was sat on the very edge of the end table, ringing incessantly. He sauntered over and grabbed it, surprised to see his good friend Lin’s name flashing across the top. Why the hell was Lin face-timing him at almost midnight?

Jonathan decided to answer it anyways, in case of emergency. He began his short walk back to the bathroom as he accepted the call, and after a few moments of buffering was greeted by the sight of his slightly rosy-cheeked friend, who was babbling something indecipherable as he walked down a dimly lit New York street.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, which confused Jonathan. He wasn’t sure if he should actually announce his presence as Lin continued to mumble about pastries. It was only a moment later when Lin’s eyes made contact with his phone, and his entire face lit up. “Jonathan, hi!” He shouted – a little too loudly – as a greeting.

“Hello Lin.” Jonathan swallowed back a chuckle as he watched his friend hiccup several times in a row, interrupting his speech. “Is there a reason you’re calling me at midnight?” As seconds passed Jonathan became more and more amused watching Lin drunkenly mumble about his flaky pastries.

Lin shook his head rather dramatically and hiccupped again. “Nahh… I was just-”Another series of hiccups. “Jus, just calling to check in Groffsauce.” He flashed Jonathan a contagious smile, which left him snickering softly to himself. “I jus’ got done filming a Drunk History ‘bout the life of Al’nder Hamilton. Did you know that he was a pretty bangin’ dude? Like… he changed history n’ shit.”

At this point Jonathan couldn’t contain his laughter. He tried muffling it with a washcloth, but it proved useless as he heard Lin laughing along with him. “Um, yes, Lin, I did know that Alexander Hamilton changed history. I was kind of in a musical about him.” He stated the obvious fact, causing Lin to hiccup in a flat attempt to laugh.

“Oh yeah tha’s right… You were that kingly douchebag, right?” He slurred, barely able to keep his eyes open. Jonathan was grateful that he had at least stopped at a bench to talk to him instead of wandering the streets of New York drunk.

Jonathan turned off his still running water and sat down on the toilet, propping his phone up against vanity so he didn’t have to hold it anymore. “Yes, yeah. King George. Are you okay Lin? Do I need to come get you?” The worry set in as Lin slumped himself against the wall of the building he was sitting outside of, still laughing about pastries.

His eyes suddenly flew open, which was actually slightly creepy to Jonathan. Lin made direct eye contact with the camera, like he wasn’t stoned in the slightest. “No… No you don’ have tuh get me Groffsauce. Act-Actually I’ve got somethin’ I’d like to say to you.” His slur was the only indication that he was even still drunk.

Taking a moment to adjust himself against the porcelain john he was cozying up to, Jonathan nodded. “Alright then. Lay it on me, Miranda.” He clapped his hands together, preparing himself for another inebriated ramble.

“I love you.” Jonathan furrowed his brow as the perfectly formed words left his friend’s mouth. He leaned forward to get a better look at Lin, surprised to find him straight-faced and staring right back at Jonathan. “N-No-No… Scratch that… I’m in love with you, Jonathan. I have been fer’ a long, long time my friend.” Panicked, Jonathan searched every inch of Lin’s face for some sign of joke, feeling a cold lump of dread when he found his friend to be dead serious. “’nd you don’t have to say anything. I might catch a cab home and go to bed… ‘M very tired…” He was interrupted by a yawn before he disconnected, leaving Jonathan sitting dumbfounded on the toilet.  
-  
The next day was overbearingly awkward. They had made plans days earlier to meet up for breakfast, and Jonathan could still feel the painful stone of dread in his belly at what Lin had admitted the other night.

He stayed away for close to four hours the previous night, trying to come up with some possibility as to this being some sort of practical joke. Lin had been pretty drunk, but he seemed totally sober and clean when he admitted his feelings. Maybe he was pulling a prank on him? No… that couldn’t be it. Sober Lin could barely pull a prank, let alone drunken Lin. The only conclusion he was able to come up with was that he was telling the truth. A drunken man’s action is a sober man’s thought.

But that left Jonathan with another question burning painfully in his gut. Did he love Lin back? Were his feelings for his friend more than platonic? He admits to having a slight attraction to his costar, but nothing that could be compared to love, right? Lin was a married man, a straight married man. There was no way.

The butterflies in Jonathan’s stomach said otherwise when he arrived at a busy café in the middle of Times Square, almost immediately making eye contact with Lin-Manuel Miranda. He took a deep breath to calm himself before he trotted forwards, putting on a falsely happy face to greet his friend.

“Hey, Jonathan, it’s good to see you.” Lin wrapped his arms around Jonathan’s waist and pulled him into a hug.

Jonathan froze momentarily before wrapping his arms around Lin’s shoulders, awkwardly hugging him back. “Yeah, you too Lin.” He bit his tongue in anger when he heard his voice rise in pitch when he uttered his friend’s name, indicating a crack in his tone. Lin seemed not to notice as he pulled away, motioning to their booth.

They had no more than sat down when a waitress came bounding over, obviously eager to serve them. They both ordered a latte, with Lin going for a banana muffin and Jonathan choosing a piece of coffee cake for breakfast.

After the girl had skipped away, Jonathan felt the familiar feeling of awkward wash over him as he took his sweet time in making eye contact with Lin.

Once again his friend seemed to overlook Jonathan’s strange behavior and went straight in for conversation. They chatted idly for a couple minutes, and Jonathan felt himself relaxing until Lin unfortunately brought up Drunk History, making Jonathan go rigid once again.

“Lin… Do you remember anything you did after you finished filming?” Jonathan asked cautiously, nervously toying with his fork beneath the table.

The older man shrugged, drumming his fingers along the table. “Not much. I remember walking down a street. I remember that I FaceTimed you, but I don’t remember what we talked about.”

Jonathan practically melted in his seat from relief. Lin didn’t remember. This was perfect. “Oh, nothing much. You mostly just mumbled about pastries and Alexander Hamilton being “A pretty bangin’ dude,” if I recall.” He chuckled, causing Lin to look down in embarrassment, his face red. Jonathan nearly cooed aloud at the adorable motion.

“I didn’t, um, say anything else?” Lin asked, uncertain of his voice, Jonathan noted. There was a slight waver in the middle, as if he was about to cry, but his voice was strong through the rest of the sentence.

The younger shook his head a little too quickly. “Um, no-nope, nu-uh. Nothing else.” He spoke in a rushed manner, trying to reassure his friend that nothing else happened.

It didn’t work. “Groffsauce… Tell me the truth. What else did I say?” He demanded, leaning forward in his seat for emphasis.

Palms sweaty, Jonathan did something he thought he would never do (aside from those times on their birthdays; those don’t count). He took a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves and slowly brought his hands up to cup Lin’s face. The mentioned flinched away from his touch for a moment, unsure of what was happening, but didn’t resist when Jonathan pulled him from his seat and onto his feet for better leverage. In a lot slower, gentler, and cleaner of a way from the previous times, Jonathan pressed his lips to Lin’s, initiating their first real kiss.

Jonathan was so stunned at the fact that this was happening that he totally forget he needed to follow through with the kiss. It wasn’t until Lin breathed a slight chuckle against his lips and brushed his fingers along Jonathan’s neck did he snap out of his weird trance. He pushed further into their kiss, earning a grin of approval from Lin. The two continued their heated kiss even after their bouncy waitress from before – very pissed off knowing that the two handsome gentlemen she was serving turned out to play for the other team – angrily threw their food down on the table.

Lin felt like he was floating in air and walking on clouds. He had kissed Jonathan before, sure, but not like this. Before they were friendly kisses that the internet wanted. This was different. This was a kissed shared of passion; a mutual romantic attraction finally being acted upon. It was a kiss shared in love. Jonathan tasted exactly as he remembered (coconut rum and artificial strawberry – Lin tasted of leftover honey whiskey and a LOT of mint toothpaste), and the taste was intoxicating.

Jonathan’s lips were so soft –softer than he remembers. He had also recently shaved, so his face was smooth and there were no beard hair to poke Lin in the face. He still had that sleep-thick scent swirling around him, and his hair fell limp across his forehead, and he kissed rather lazily (but still passionately, somehow), but goddamn if Lin cared. Everything about Jonathan was perfect. Jonathan thought everything about Lin was perfect. And apparently a full diner of hungry patrons thought so too as they split apart with the entire room staring at them.

Of course some of the stares weren’t so friendly, but neither really seemed to bother to give a shit. They leaned in once again for another kiss, this time Lin wrapping his arm around Jonathan’s neck to bring him closer and Jonathan opting for wrapping his arm around Lin’s waist. They shimmied out of their booth for easier access to each other, and once out Jonathan wasted no time in pulling Lin’s hips against him, earning a surprised grunt of appreciation from his new lover.

They broke away again, each panting softly as they pressed their foreheads together. The people in the diner that recognized them as Jonathan Groff and Lin-Manuel Miranda gave them a round of applause, which caused each to blush profusely as they continued to stare into each other’s eyes.

Lin had no idea what he was going to do from this point on. He had been pinning after Jonathan for so long and now that he actually had the chance to do something he had no idea what to do. He was a married man now. He couldn’t just leave Vanessa in the dust (though – unbeknownst to him – she already knew something was going on between the two of them).

But the more he thought about it, the more it didn’t seem to matter. Jonathan Groff loved him back. He was finally holding Jonathan Groff in his arms, and it was way more than friendly. He had yearned for this day for years, and now that it had finally arrived he didn’t want to waste time in overthinking things.

In the end they were kicked out of the diner due to excessive making out (Jonathan’s fault). They left in fits of giggles, holding hands


	2. 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nintendo grofflin

Jonathan was beyond tired. It was barely noon on a Sunday afternoon and yet it felt like he hadn’t slept in years. He couldn’t quite explain why he was tired, as he had gotten his full eight hours of sleep. It was like the life had been sucked out him.

He had just placed his head down on the table in his shared dressing room when the door slammed open, startling the actor, and in strolled Lin-Manuel Miranda. In one hand was an orange game station and in the other balanced a couple of game cartridges and one single controller. Jonathan watched through droopy eyes as Lin quickly cleared off his work area, going to work on setting the game station up. It took Jonathan a moment to register that it was an old Nintendo 64, and inside was Mario Kart. He grinned as a sense of nostalgia wafted across him, making his sober up from his insane sleep deprivation.

The problem was that Lin had only bought one controller, and there were two of them. How the hell were they supposed to play each other? Lin had barely gotten a game set up for himself when Jonathan got up from his chair, grabbing his jacket and making his way out the door. Lin watched him go, a sly smirk appearing on his face. He turned back to the game, selecting Luigi to play as.

He had only just passed the first set of courses when Jonathan walked back in, holding a second controller in his hand. Lin didn’t look at him, but he knew what he held. Without exchanging a word Lin backed out of his game to the menu, allowing Jonathan to plug his controller in join the game.

As they waited for the game to load, Jonathan had to find a place to sit. First he attempted to sit in Lin’s chair, but the angle of the chair to the TV made it impossible to see. Next he tried the floor, but that was short lived as the cord on his controller wasn’t long enough for that to happen. Jonathan got to his feet and eyed Lin’s legs, and without warning popped a squat right on top of them.

Lin let out a squeak of resentment and threw Jonathan to the ground, laughing as he gave a high-pitched squeal of surprise as he fell. As he was bent forwards in laughter, Jonathan seized the opportunity and took a seat right behind Lin on their video game couch. Lin didn’t protest when Jonathan wrapped his legs tightly around his waist, positioning himself comfortably.

Jonathan also didn’t complain when Lin involuntarily nuzzled his head into the crook of his neck. Jonathan leaned back against the arm of the couch and wrapped his arms around Lin’s midsection in order to play properly. To anyone who walked in you’d think they were a couple cuddling on the couch.

They went hard in game, which caused a lot of swearing and laughter. Neither of them held back. The unforgivable blue turtle shell was used on Lin twice and Jonathan three times. Lin constantly tumbled off the Banshee Boardwalk because of Jonathan’s excellent banana placement, and Lin always got him back using the false mystery boxes. They played like children, using foul language and giving over exaggerated reasons as to why they lost. They were like siblings with the way they were bickering. Jonathan no longer minded that Lin was practically in his lap, which he used to his advantage to block Jonathan’s view from the screen. Whenever he did this Jonathan would stick a wet pinkie in his ear and give him a Wet Willy, which resulted in Lin challenging Jonathan to yet another race.

Eventually it all came down to the dreaded Rainbow Road. Both men absolutely sucked at the game, and it didn’t help that the graphics were incredibly low res and it stung the eyes to look at for too long. But still they carried on their feud, trying everything they could to win. Lin nearly threw his controller at the screen every time he ran into a Chain Chomp, which caused Jonathan to laugh so hard he too ran into a Chain Chomp. The blue turtle shell was used a total fourteen times in three laps. Granted it only hit Jonathan once, and it had only gotten first once. In the end it was Bowser that won, with Lin and Jonathan right on his tail. Lin got second place by .02 seconds, and his loud laugh of triumph could be heard from all the surrounding dressing rooms.

Jonathan wasn’t upset that he lost. He liked seeing Lin so happy, and if that meant losing then he didn’t mind. It didn’t stop him, however, from dragging his fingers along Lin’s side, triggering his ticklish spots. Lin yelped in alarm and tried to get up, but Jonathan secured his legs around his waist and forced him to stay put. Lin cried out desperately for him to stop, but the high wailing sounds of laughter coming from Lin made Jonathan laugh too hard to stop.

Eventually it came to Lin as a form of revenge. He spun around quickly and faced Jonathan, who was still trying his hardest to get underneath Lin’s armpits. Neither of them noticed that Lin was straddling Jonathan as Lin copied the motion, using Jonathan’s own tickle spots against him. The younger male pleaded for him to stop, but Lin refused. They sort of looked like T-Rexes, with their armpits shut tightly to avoid tickling but arms extended to do the tickling.

Somehow they ended up on the floor, with Lin having the advantage of being on top of Jonathan. He used his knees to pin his arms to the floor and tickled his friend mercilessly – to the point where Jonathan was crying in laughter. Eventually Lin decided that Jonathan had had enough of his punishment and stopped, and the two decreased their laughter simultaneously.

It was in that moment that they realized the compromising position they were in. Jonathan was laid spread eagle beneath Lin with his arms pinned down and messy hair and his shirt riding up his stomach while Lin was putting pressure on Jonathan’s shoulders to keep his arms down. He was also straddling him again, his knees pushing into the palms of Jonathan’s hand to restrict movement and the rather uncomfortable fact that Lin was sitting directly on top of Jonathan’s Daddy Hose.

The two panted, clearly out of breath from their war and eager to regain their breath. Lin’s face was so close to Jonathan’s he could see the baby freckles littering the edge of Lin’s nose (Lin could also see the same pattern of freckles on Jonathan’s nose). Lin sat admiring the emerald green tint to Jonathan’s mint-aqua irises.

Silence fell over the room as neither dared to talk. Lin wasn’t sure if Jonathan was comfortable with him straddling him or not, but he showed no signs of discomfort as they continued to stare at each other. Jonathan felt somewhat vulnerable as he lay beneath his friend, his stomach exposed and his legs spread, but it was a good kind of vulnerable. He felt both exposed and safe at the same time. If it were any other person aside from Lin he wouldn’t have felt so… open to their position.

“Can I kiss you?” Lin’s face was so close to Jonathan’s he felt the brush of air across his mouth as Lin asked the question. Jonathan stuttered in a breath, keeping his eyes carefully trained as Lin parted his lips ever so slightly in anticipation for his answer.

In response, Jonathan leaned up and softly pressed his lips to Lin’s, hesitant in the motion. Lin furrowed his eyebrows together and pushed back into the kiss, still unsure whether or not this was actually happening. Jonathan wiggled his hands out from underneath Lin’s knees and gingerly cupped his face, forcing the semi-retreating man to stay put against his lips.

Lin broke first, opening his eyes to look at Jonathan. The other man’s eyes were still closed, eyebrows knitted together, as if he was in deep thought and he couldn’t shake it. Eventually his eyelids fluttered open, but that proved to be rather useless as Lin connected their lips together again in an equally sweet kiss as the last one.

As the two continued their kiss they were certainly unaware of Daveed, Okieriete, and Leslie standing outside of their dressing room. They had also been playing video games in Daveed’s dressing room when Lin’s loud, triumphant laugh caught their attention. They were used to the close bond they shared with the two men inside, so instead of knocking they just opened the door.

Leslie had to slap his hand over Daveed’s mouth to prevent him from interrupting their session. Oak nearly cooed at the sight (Lin had allowed Jonathan to sit up, so now their legs were entangled with each other with Jonathan’s hands cupping Lin’s face and Lin’s hands resting against Jonathan’s hips), but he knew that would have totally fucked up their cute little moment.

Without exchanging any words Leslie slowly shut the door, giving Lin and Jonathan their privacy. Jonathan poked open an eye and caught Daveed’s who sent him a wink. Jonathan averted his gaze and blushed before returning his attention to Lin, trying his hardest to ignore the loud creaking of the door closing.

A few moments after the door had safely shut, Jonathan pulled away, resting his forehead against Lin’s. They once again fell into a silence, staring into each other’s eyes. “I love you.” Jonathan’s voice was strong against the white static noise emanating from the still-running Nintendo.

The words sent chills down Lin’s spine as a smile spread across his face and a giggle escaped his mouth. Butterflies erupted in Jonathan’s stomach at the sound, and his head felt dizzy with euphoria.

“I love you too, Groffsauce.” Lin murmured, his lips brushing Jonathan’s. The feeling triggered Jonathan’s want, and it wasn’t long before they were back to making out against the black game couch.


	3. 3.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> birthday grofflin

“So… Happy birthday, I know I got you a good present last year, um, so, we’re not topping that. So, anyways, good luck with the lotto-” Lin was cut off when Jonathan lunged forwards, recreating their kiss from last year in a sloppier manner. Lin just barely managed to turn off the video before his phone slipped from his hand. He heard it bounce off the ground as Jonathan pushed against him, backing Lin up against the wall

They were kissing again. Lin hadn’t expected this, yet he wasn’t quite shocked that it was happening either. Jonathan was kissing him eagerly, not even caring that Lin wasn’t kissing back at the current moment. Lin wasn’t sure whether he should push his friend off or not, as technically just blatantly making out in their dressing room counted as cheating on his wife, but part of him was curious to see where this went.

So after a moment’s hesitation Jonathan felt Lin’s arms wrap around his waist, pulling him closer. Jonathan felt like his heart was ready to leap out of his chest. It was a spur of the moment idea and he expected Lin to his kiss back and then laugh it off. He had no idea that Lin was going to reciprocate the motion in such a savage manner. Did this mean he liked Jonathan back? Or was it something else?

His mind went blank again when he felt Lin push himself off the wall, his hand on Jonathan’s lower back to guide him down onto the couch. Jonathan broke the kiss in order to flop backwards, springing off the couch with a thump. Lin looked down at him with a soft expression on his face for a moment, and the pause was long enough for Jonathan to open his mouth.

“Lin, I-um… I didn’t mean-” He was cut off when Lin dropped down onto his lap and rekindled their kiss, just as passionate as before. Jonathan huffed in annoyance but kissed back nonetheless. He may be confused but he wasn’t throwing away his shot to make out with Lin.

Lin’s head was swirling. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Okay sure, he meant to kiss Jonathan back, but that wasn’t supposed to amass into a full-blown make out session. Both men knew exactly where this was heading, and neither one of them could think clearly about it. Maybe it was the adrenaline of doing something wrong that edged Lin on. Maybe it was the way Lin’s hair tickled Jonathan’s nose that edged him on. Either way they knew how this was ending.

It was Lin who broke the heated kiss much later, having to use literally every fiber of his being to do so. He sat up fully, watching with narrowed eyes as Jonathan darted his tongue out to lick the remains of Lin off his lips. Slowly his eyes opened and the two made eye contact. Lin was almost certain that the light from his vanity was causing the redness of Jonathan’s face as he ran his eyes over every inch of his. Was he even getting any blood to the rest of his body?

Jonathan was painfully aware of his erection. Lin, however, was not, despite sitting almost directly on top of it. Jonathan swallowed heavily, trying to reduce his heart rate as much as he could. A smile spread across Lin’s face, and it didn’t help Jonathan’s situation any as he took in the beautiful sight.

“Happy fuckin’ birthday.” Lin giggled, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth as he fell across Jonathan’s chest, cuddling into his side. Jonathan blew out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and brought his hands up to hug Lin against him. Lin nuzzled his head into the crook of Jonathan’s neck, his breath fanning across the bare skin which caused Jonathan to shiver and discreetly cross his legs.

Jonathan gave a small cough before kissing Lin on the forehead, burying his nose into Lin’s hair. “Happy birthday indeed.” He whispered, the breath catching in his throat as he felt Lin kiss his collarbone.


	4. 4.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dog-sitting grofflin

I sat bolt upright when I heard the doorbell ring. I paused my movie and swung my legs over the side of the couch, drowsily making my way to the door. Through the glass panel in the middle of the door I saw my friend Oak standing on the other side, hugging his jacket closer to him.

He lifted his head when I opened the door, stepping aside to allow him inside. “Oak, hey, what’s up man?” I greeted him, shutting the door behind him as he shrugged off his slightly muddy shoes in the Mud Room and hung his jacket on the rack. Once he was finished I followed him into the living room.

Oak made himself comfortable across the couch from me. He brought his legs up and sat cross-legged, and I stared at him in awe, wondering how such a big man could cram himself comfortably into that position in such a small amount of space. He smiled nonetheless, showing no signs of discomfort. “Hey, Jonathan, I have a favor to ask you.” I nodded. “Okay, well, my family and I are going out of town for a week or so and we can’t bring Hercules with us, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to dogsit for me?” He asked with noticeable hesitation, as if he thought I would say no.

I smiled, imagining spending an entire week alone with a big, cuddly Boxer/Pit Bull mix. “Yeah, sure I’d love to Oak. When are you going away?” I asked, feeling a warm sense of eagerness fill my belly.

“We head for New York tomorrow morning.” Oak shrugged. “I figured you could spend the night tonight and then you’ll already be at my house for tomorrow and you wouldn’t have to get up super early to walk over.” He explained, and I nodded along with him.

After quickly sending my mom a text explaining the situation, I gave a sigh. “Will I be the only one there?” I was fairly certain that – as an eighteen year old – I could take care of myself, but it didn’t hurt to ask if I was going to be rooming with someone for the week.

Oak shook his head, which peaked my interest. “Nah, my older cousin might stop in. We’d ask him to do it, but he’s still in his post-college party funk and really isn’t the most responsible person in the world.” Oak laughed, which caused me to chuckle. “If he does show up, do me a favor and keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t steal all our food, or break anything.”

I nodded. “Of course I will.” I promised with a solid head nod. “Now tell me a bit about your cousin so if he does show up I’m not left with a total stranger.” My friend laughed.

“Okay, okay. His name is Lin. Lin-Manuel Miranda. He’s twenty-three and fresh out of college… He’s, um, he’s got long brown hair and big brown eyes. He’s got a rather distinctive voice too so you’ll probably recognize him right away. He’s a couple inches shorter than you, and he absolutely loves to sing.” I nodded, making mental notes. Suddenly Oak’s eyes lit up. “Hey, you can sing too. Y’all should do a duet together and film it so we can see. That’d be a good idea.”

I blushed and looked down. “I’ll think about it.” I muttered, earning a hissed yes from Oak. “Alright, it’s getting late. We should probably head to your place if you’ve got to get up early in the morning.” I felt my phone buzz and saw that my mother had agreed to the idea. “Let me just go pack a bag and I’ll meet you outside, alright?”

It took me less than a couple minutes to throw a couple shirts, a few pairs of jeans, a pair of underwear, and a couple toiletries into a bag and rush back downstairs, meeting Oak on the porch. “It’s about eight now, and I have to be up by five so we have about an hour to dick around before I have to go to sleep. I’ve set up the guest room for you. I moved Hercules’s blanket and pillows into there so that you could keep an eye on him while you sleep.” I raised an eyebrow. “Normally I’d just leave his bed in the dining room, but he gets anxiety when we’re not home so I thought that if he got to replace my dad with you at night then that would cut down on his stress.” I gave an ‘ah’ of understanding as we set out on our journey.

The walk to his house didn’t take very long. In fact by the time we said hello to his parents and walked into his room it was 8:13. While Oak was in the bathroom changing into his pajamas I took the liberty of setting up the Wii, as we had discussed ahead of time that we were going head-to-head on Super Smash Bros.

When he came out we switched spots, so Oak was readying the controllers and I was changing. I brushed my face and washed the product out of my hair, leaving a damp, curly flop across my forehead. I ran a washcloth through it to dry it, but that only made it frizzier, and I was left with a Darren Criss-like afro.

Oak – of course – made fun of this as I walked back out. I grabbed my pillow and hit him a couple times, causing Hercules to bark. Oak pushed me off towards the dog, who wasted little time in jumping on my chest to play. I battled with Hercules face-to-face for about a minute before Oak joined in, tickling my feet relentlessly. I couldn’t stop him, as I had a 130 pound dog sitting on my chest, so I just hoped that my furious kicking was enough to throw him off rhythm. Eventually Oak’s dad called Hercules downstairs for his late night bathroom break and the torture stopped (after a few moments of swatting at Oak to make the tickling cease).

At this point we had roughly twenty-six minutes to actually play the Wii. I, as usual, chose Zelda, whilst Oak decided on Kirby (who despite being a literal ball of pink loveliness had quite a few power ups), and the game commenced. In the end it was I who reigned victorious and Oak – who was a total sore loser – pushed me off the bed. We wrestled around for the remainder of our time together, which wasn’t long as Oak’s mother called bedtime roughly two minutes later.

“I guess I’ll see you in a week.” I grunted, shoving the way larger man off of me.

Oak chuckled and nodded. “Yes indeed Groff. Goodnight.” He tossed me my bag and I left the room stifling a yawn. I made my way down to the guest room, where I unpacked my clothes into the dresser and flopped down onto the bed. I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I was unable to keep my eyes open for much longer. I remember Hercules crawling up into bed with me, but anything after the large dog settled next to my legs was a blur.

-

It was the undeniably gross time of seven in the morning when I woke up to Hercules barking. I pried open my eyes to find the large dog sitting at the edge of my bed, pawing at my feet. I realized that he probably had to go to the bathroom and groaned, not wanting to leave the warmth of my over-layered bed. I got up nonetheless anyways, grateful that the Onaodowan’s had turned on the heat before they left. Still I shrugged on a pair of fuzzy black pajama pants over my boxer before I opened the door, allowing Hercules to bark gleefully and shoot out of the room.

I hooked him up to the chain and watched him as he did his business. I had to drag him away from the fence several times to reduce the possibility of him slaughtering the tortoiseshell tomcat that sat atop it, dangling his tail just out of Hercules’ reach. Once his attention had been forced away from the cat by a squirrel he managed to finally go to the bathroom and run back up the stairs to greet me on the patio. I scrunched his face wrinkles a couple of times before I unhooked him and brought him inside.

While Hercules busied himself with a rawhide in the dining room, I was left to decide what the hell I wanted to do with the rest of my morning. According to the chart that Mr. Onaodowan had left pinned to the fridge, Hercules didn’t need his daily walk until noon, which left me to myself for a while.

In the end I decided on watching some early morning cartoons. They were over at nine, and then the crappy current kids TV shows would take the screen. Hercules crawled up on the couch with me as Looney Toons began, and I watched eagerly. I didn’t have any idea when the last time I watched a cartoon was, and it was thrilling to do so again. After Looney Toons played its two episodes, Inspector Gadget was on – which I was never really a fan of – but I went ahead and watched it anyways, enjoying myself too much to care.

Eventually my nostalgic morning was brought to a halt when some show called Goldie and Bear came on. I blew a raspberry at my screen in annoyance, which caught the attention of Hercules, who licked my mouth. I swatted him away and wiped the unwanted excess slobber from my mouth and sprang to my feet. As I did so I heard a rumble, which was followed by a sharp stomach pain. “Damn I’m hungry…” I muttered and made my way into the kitchen to scavenge for some breakfast.

-

It was exactly 9:43 when I first saw Lin-Manuel Miranda. As a family member, he didn’t see the need to knock on the door and just invited himself in. He was stealthy enough to walk pass Hercules undetected (though it wasn’t hard, seeing as Hercules was loudly chomping on an unfortunate squeak toy and I was rapping Baby Got Back loudly from the kitchen). He walked into the kitchen just as I was putting the cinnamon rolls into the oven, finishing the second verse of the rap.

“You’re not Oak.” I hissed in pain when his sudden voice startled me and caused me to bump the hot rack in the oven. I recoiled my hand quickly and used my foot to slam the door shut, pressing the timer on my phone. I spun around quickly and scowled at the older boy, who was leaning against the doorframe wearing a smirk on his handsome face. “Who are you?”

I blew out an annoyed breath of air and crossed my arms. “The Onaodowan’s are on vacation to New York. I’m dogsitting for them.” I explained, trying to ignore the throbbing in my right hand from where I burnt myself. “I’m assuming you’re Lin. Oak told me you’d be here.”

Lin took a step towards me, and I had to force myself to look unintimidated and stand my ground. “Yeah I’m Lin. Who are you?” He repeated his earlier question which I had failed to acknowledge.

I shuffled positions to hide the growing red mark. “My name is Jonathan. Jonathan Groff. Oak asked me to watch over Hercules while they’re away.” I looked Lin in the eyes, swallowing the growing lump of nerves in my throat. “What are you doing here, exactly?” I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to sound cocky but failing as my voice betrayed me and decided to crack on the word ‘you’.

The other boy shrugged, yawning. I crinkled my nose when the scent of artificial mint washed over me. I gave an overdramatic cough of annoyance and stepped away, but Lin didn’t seem to notice as he spun on his heel and made his way to the fridge. “Just a snack before I head to work.” He bent down to examine the contents of the freezer box, and it took everything I had in me to stop myself from looking at his ass.

Instead I cleared my throat rather loudly and hopped up on the counter. “Oak told me not to let you steal all their food though.” I mused aloud, a cheeky grin on my face. I could see Lin eyeing me from inside the fridge but he didn’t turn around to face me as he muttered back, “Try and stop me.” I sat cross-legged on the counter for a long while as he rifled through the food stash. He eventually decided that a bowl of cereal sounded nice and gathered the things to make a bowl of Trix. I watched him in amusement as he excitedly made himself some breakfast.

He looked up at me for a split second before a smile overtook his face. “I’m a kid at heart, okay?” I shrugged indifferently as he threw the now-empty box at me. I laughed sheepishly and kicked the box up before it fell, but that was a bad idea as it spun to the side and hit Lin right on the back of the head.

Slowly he spun around to face me. I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling in amusement. “In my defense you kind of deserved that…” I looked straight into his eyes, enjoying the feisty look he had going on. In a quick moment I realized what he was planning to do, and I barely had enough time to leap off the counter before Lin was chasing after me. I caught a look behind me as I made my way upstairs, secretly loving the way that Lin’s hair flowed majestically behind him. I caught myself on the edge of the last step due to my staring, and that cost me a precious half second of time in which Lin took three stairs in. I squealed in protest and booted it down the hallway towards my room, Hercules in tow. I ran in and slammed the door shut behind me.

Lin pounded on the door from the outside, laughing too hard to catch his breath which prevented him from talking. Hercules barked to the rhythm of his banging, but after a short while it all went quiet. I assumed that he realized that his cereal was getting soggy downstairs, but I wasn’t risking the chance that he hadn’t left and flopped down on my bed for a little break.

I screamed in terror when I felt a weight on top of me. I quickly shoved Lin off of me and rolled over, so that he was pinned beneath me on the bed. “How the hell did you get in here?” I challenged, my heart still beating erratically from the spook.

The older boy grinned. “The closet in here is connected to the one in the hallway. I’m guessing Oak failed to mention that?” He asked cheekily, still panting. I slapped myself mentally. How had I forgotten that was there? Whenever Oak and I had played hide-n-seek when we were little that was his go-to spot and I never found him. And then after a while he had forgotten about it and I used it to my own advantage. How could I be so forgetful of such a fond memory? “I don’t mean to be a burden but you’re actually kind of heavy, so would you mind getting- oof!” He grunted as I rolled off of him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Well that was a predicament.” I breathed lowly, ignoring the sudden racing of my heart. “Let’s just… Let’s just not mention that, okay?” And with that I stood up and made my way down the stairs.  
-

It was nearing seven at night when I next saw Lin. I had just settled down with a bowl of popcorn readying myself for the Harry Potter marathon ABC Family was airing when he once again invited himself in. I didn’t say anything as he waltzed in like he owned the place and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. I was thankful that we were in a dimly lit room so he couldn’t see my embarrassed blush, but I had a strange feeling that he knew it was there. He didn’t speak either. He only grunted when Hercules used him as leverage to get onto the couch.

Throughout the first movie I stole a few glances at Lin, and a couple times I caught him staring back at me. I munched softly on my popcorn, trying to keep myself focused on the movie, but that proved to be rather difficult when I noticed that during every commercial break Lin would scooch an inch or so closer to me.

“Can I have some popcorn?” His voice startled me, and I couldn’t help but fully turn my head to look at him. As I held the bowl out for him to grab I noticed that this time he had his long hair up in a messy bun, which gave him a bit of subtle aging. Earlier he looked to be my age. Now he looked twenty-three. I saw him smirk and that’s when I realized that I had been staring. I gawked at him in annoyance and turned my attention back to the TV, investing myself in the movie. Every now and then Lin would ask what was happening or who a character was and I had no problem explaining the movie to him, except every time I did so he took the opportunity to once again inch closer.

By the second movie our knees were touching. Hercules had abandoned me by now which left plenty of room for Lin to move in. My heartrate increased when I felt his shoulder press against mine. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye to find that his eyes were drooping, and his head was slowly falling onto my shoulder. “Y’know… I called Oak earlier.” He muttered around a yawn. I swallowed thickly and laid my hand across his knee. “I asked about you and he told me some wonderful things.” He lifted his head and looked at me, giving a soft, genuine smile. “You seem like a cool kid, Groffsauce.”

I froze at the nickname. Groffsauce? Where the hell did he come up with that? I nearly laughed, but that action was cut short when Lin draped his head back on my shoulder. I inhaled sharply, and boldly took the motion to lay my head on his. I heard him hum in approval before his body completely fell against mine, indicating that he had fallen asleep. My fingers shook as I placed my hands gingerly on top of his, as not to wake him. His twitched briefly before they settled, half intertwining with mine. I sighed softly before returning my attention to the movie.

-

“Where the hell- Oh, yeah, you… That’s right.” I looked up at Lin, who stood drowsily in the doorway of my room. “I was- Did… I fell asleep on the couch last night. Did you move me into Oak’s room?” He asked, his voice playing on the edge of amusement.

I blushed and stood up, shivering as I left the warmth of my covers. “Yeah, yeah I did. You fell asleep on my shoulder and I couldn’t move so I brought you up here so you’d be more comfortable. I hope you don’t have to go to work.” I rubbed my arm awkwardly, not making eye contact with the older male.

He yawned and nodded. “Oh, well whatever works Groffsauce. And I don’t have to go in until one, so we’re safe.” He grinned at me. “Let’s go find something to eat and then I’m going out with some friends. Don’t wait up.” He left the room, and I blew out the breath I had been holding. “Oh, and one more thing,” I jumped slightly as he reappeared suddenly around the corner. “Don’t bother putting your pants on. I like you better this way.” He winked at me then disappeared again, and I nearly choked on the lump of dread in my throat when I realized that I slept in my boxers.

When I finally worked up the nerve to go downstairs (with pants on), I found Lin sitting at his computer, a bowl of oatmeal steaming next to him. I stumbled down the last step and made a rather noisy entrance into the kitchen. Lin looked up at me and grinned teasingly. “Hey we just put that last stair in so be careful when you walk down them.” He joked, and I stuck my tongue out at him. “There are some bagels on the counter if you want some. Otherwise there’s more oatmeal and cereal.” He informed me before going back to intently staring at his screen.

I slipped two bagels into the toaster and tied the bag back up, placing it beside the stack of bread products on the counter. “So where are you going?” I asked, trying to fill the void of silence that had befallen Lin and me.

The mentioned looked up at me over the top of his laptop and shrugged. “Maybe go bowling… Then lunch. Whatever they want to do I’m fine with.” He sounded monotonous, which gave me and eerie feeling. I had barely spent any time with the older male yet seeing him without his usual smirk made me feel uneasy.

My bagels reappeared out of the toaster, startling me. “Oh, well I guess that sounds fun.” I walked to the fridge and grabbed the cream cheese, making sure to check the expiration date (last time I was brave enough to have a bagel the cream cheese was over two months expired… That was not a good morning) before I walked back over to my food. “The next two Harry Potter movies are on tonight, if you wanted to come over after work to watch them.” I glanced back at Lin to find him looking at me, a smile toying the edges of his lip. “If you don’t want to that’s fine. I have no problem watching them on my own. I might just order a pizza and- Hey!” I squeaked in protest when Lin slapped my ass, interrupting my speech.

Face red I turned away from him, furiously spreading cream cheese on my bagel. “Yeah, hey, I’d love to come over. You’re going to have to catch me up to speed on what’s going on, though, because I fell asleep halfway through the second one.” He chuckled, and I blinked a couple of times before peeking over my shoulder at him. He got up from his chair, putting his dishes in the dishwasher. “It’s a date, Groffsauce. I’ll see you tonight.” With a wink he fled outside, leaving me a flustered mess with a cooling bagel.

\--

Hercules tugged on his leash, eager to turn our walk into a run. I laughed gleefully and trotted alongside him, keeping pace with the large dog the best I could. He turned sharply down the alleyway, and I suddenly felt uneasy as the atmosphere shifted from a bright, sunny day to drab and gray. Hercules continued to pull me along the alley, his eyes fixated on a squirrel. “Hercules, no, stop- oh my dog you dumb do- hey, stop, watch- Jesus!” After a long debacle with littered trashcan lids on the ground I finally tripped on one, falling flat on my face. Hercules had luckily stop to pee on a weed extending out from the fence beside us, but I barely had enough time to struggle to my feet before Hercules was pulling me along again.

The alleyway emptied out in front of a park where a group of teenagers were all crowding around one in the middle. I glanced over at them as they exchanged whispers, each looking a little on edge. I knelt down beside Hercules and rubbed his head. “Drug deal, maybe?” He nosed my cheek when my hushed breath wafted over him, and I chuckled a few times before standing straight and continuing on with my walk. If things got hostile I was lucky enough to have Hercules as protection.

I stopped suddenly when I heard singing. Hercules grunted at my sudden stop and slumped on his butt stubbornly, almost immediately gaining interest in a stick. I turned my head back towards the group of teenagers to find that they were singing a Capella to Usher’s DJ Got Us Falling in Love Again. A smile grew on my face as I listened to them, tapping my foot along with the melody. When the singing began I couldn’t help but mouth along.

When I opened my eyes my jaw nearly dropped. A few yards away from me was Lin, singing passionately to a blonde girl, whose giggling grew with every passing second. I crossed my legs and listened to him, tilting my head to the side. Oak had said that Lin could sing but I honestly didn’t believe that I would hear it this week. Lin turned around to serenade another girl behind him when our eyes locked. You could hear the slight falter in his voice when he recognized me, and the people around him noticed too as all their eyes trailed to where I was sitting behind Hercules (who had abandoned the stick and was now pawing a yellow flower gingerly).

Lin made his way towards me, and I could feel the heat of a blush creeping onto my face. He held a hand out to me, and I hesitated for a moment before I grabbed it and allowed him to haul me to my feet. I secured Hercules’ leash around the base of a bench and stood fully to meet Lin’s gaze. He was grinning from ear-to-ear as he watched me become transfixed on his lips. He bellowed out the lyrics passionately, and it was beautiful.

The song came to an interlude, and Lin took that moment to snake his arm around my waist and pull me close. Caught off-guard by the motion I clumsily stumbled against the shorter man, but he held me steady after a few moments. My breath hitched at our close proximity, and I sent out dozens of metaphorical prayers that Lin couldn’t feel the rapid thumping of my heart (or the sweat running down my back). He clasped our hands together above our heads and swung me around. I giggled when I heard a couple of the surrounding spectators give wolf whistles, but they were ignored by Lin as he continued on with the song.

I began mumbling along with the words. Loud enough to be heard as an indecipherable mumble but not loud enough to make out. I felt the brush of air as Lin sang, keeping perfect eye contact the entire time. After a moment I swallowed my fear and began singing with him. I saw his eyes widen, but only briefly before he was interrupted by a giggle. I forced myself not to laugh along with him as we continued to sing.

We broke away from each other mutually before the song ended and just stood staring at one another. It ended and the crowd around us cheered, which caused Lin to laugh and gather me in a victorious hug. I patted his back a couple of times before he pulled away. “Not bad, Groffsauce. Not bad at all. We should do some more when I come over later.”

I nodded in agreement. “Harry Potter isn’t on until eight anyways. Will there be enough time?”

He scoffed. “Of course. I’m only filling in for a friend. I shouldn’t be gone longer than two hours.” I raised an eyebrow. “She’s at a dentist appointment.”

Eventually we said our goodbyes and I returned Hercules to his walk. As we were trotting away I heard the group teasing Lin about having feelings for me, and the worm of nervousness I got in my stomach when we made our final eye contact was enough to confirm that I wished it was true.

-

“I told you, Groffsauce, I’m a fucking Slytherin.” I laughed as Lin slammed the computer down in front of me. “I’m not a Hufflepuff. I’m not a finder.” He huffed and crossed his arms.

I closed his laptop and stood up, facing him. “You do realize that you’ve taken the Pottermore house quiz six times? You got Hufflepuff four times and Ravenclaw once.” I chuckled as he gave me a skeptic look.

He shoved the laptop towards me. “You take the damn test and we’ll see if you’re truly a Gryffindor, you asshole.” I shrugged, reopening the laptop and creating a new account. Lin watched the screen like a hawk over my shoulder. I got Gryffindor on my first try. “Bullshit. This is utter bullshit.”

Due to his rambling Lin toppled over the back of the couch. I hunched over and giggled furiously into my hands as he began swearing loudly about the stupidity of the situation. “Lin, you need to calm down babe.” I stood up and sauntered into the living room, finding Lin half sliding off the couch.

He looked up at me with a teasing glint. “Shut up Groffsauce. It’s not funny, babe.” He mocked me with a smirk, and I froze when I realized what I had done. I coughed awkwardly and turned away before he could see my red face, but he only laughed and fell completely off the couch. “We should sing some more.”

I turned to look at him. “Wasn’t today enough?” I asked, grabbing a glass out of the cupboard and pouring myself a glass of water. “I mean, yeah we sounded good, but I… I’m not used to singing in front of people.” I took several large gulps from my glass as Lin got up from the floor and made his way into the kitchen.

I grunted in protest when Lin swiped the half empty glass of water from me and drank the remnants. I crossed my arms and pouted at him, but he only laughed and grabbed my bottom lip. “I wanna see how good you actually are. How about some Queen, yeah?” He released my lip after another moment, dragging his fingers along each one as a tease. I darted my tongue out and licked them, scrunching my nose at the salty taste of his fingers.

Lin walked over to the stereo and started filing through Oak’s CD collection. I bounded over and watched over his shoulder as he pulled out Queen’s Greatest Hits. He smirked at me as he slid the CD in. Without looking he played a random number, that number being Bohemian Rhapsody. Lin grinned at me as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the center of the living room. He dropped my hand and ran back to the stereo, turning it up a couple decibels before trotting back over.

“Lin, seriously, I’m not that good. I’m just going to embarrass myself.” I tried for one more last minute plead, but all he did was ignore me. I huffed and sat down on the edge of the couch, watching as he began to sing. When he noticed that I wasn’t joining in he frowned at me, motioning with his hands for me to start. I stubbornly shook my head. “I’m not doing it Lin, I swear-”

Suddenly I was splayed out across the couch with Lin hovering over top of me. I gasped at the feeling of his body pressing closely to mine. My heartrate sped up as he flattened himself across my body, and I furrowed my eyebrows together when he plopped all his weight down. “I’m not letting you up until you agree to sing.” He muttered, his lips at an antagonizing distance away from mine. I could feel his top lip brush my bottom one.

I played my nerves off my scoffing. “Yeah right. You’re not that heavy Lin. I can wait until you give up.” I fired back, trying to worm my way out from under him but he had a vice grip across my waist, pinning my arms down. “I’m not singing.”

We made it through six songs easily, but by the seventh – Don’t Stop Me Now – I felt the uncomfortable feeling of urine filling my bladder. “Okay Lin seriously I have to pee. Get up.” I demanded, but he only pushed more weight onto my gut. “Lin please…” I winced when I felt him laugh.

“Not until you agree to sing.” He pressed the matter, bringing his head, which had previously been resting against my chest, up to look at me. I stared down at him through narrowed eyes, but the deadpan expression on his face didn’t falter. “I’m not letting this go Groffsauce.”

Eventually the pain became unbearable and I began to cough. “Okay, okay, fine, you asshole. I’ll sing. Let me pee now.” I groaned when I felt his weight shift off my bladder first, and then off entirely. I rolled to the ground, and I heard Lin laugh before he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to my feet. “But I’m warning you… I’m really not that good.”

Lin looked at me skeptically. “Yeah, right Jonathan. I heard you at the park. You were fantastic. Now hurry up and pee so we can get on with this. Harry Potter is almost on.” I glanced at the clock on my way up and saw that it was just a little past seven in the evening. The stairs creaked below me as I made my way upstairs to the bathroom. I peed quickly and washed my hands before sighing at my reflection in the mirror and trudging back downstairs.

I nearly toppled down the last few when I saw that Lin had stripped his shirt off. I luckily caught myself before he noticed me, but I could barely croak out a greeting due to the lack of saliva in my mouth. Lin grinned at me before grabbing a white t-shirt out of his bag and slipping it on, much to my disappointment. He grabbed my hand again and directed me towards the center of the living room again. He had pushed the couches and coffee table to the edges of the room to create more space for us to stand.

“Ready?” He asked, walking over to the stereo and replaying Bohemian Rhapsody.

I shook my head. “No, but it seems like I don’t really have a choice, do I?” My palms began to sweat when the song started.

Lin walked back over to me and grabbed both of my hands in his. “You don’t have a choice, no.” He chuckled when I rolled my eyes. “Come on Groffsauce. You’ll do great.”

“Whatever you say, Lin.” I muttered, listening for a brief moment as he started first. After a second or two I softly joined in, and I saw Lin give me a smile.

The song sounded somewhat far-off as the adrenaline kicked in and I began to overpower the stereo. Lin’s eyes grew three times their size (which was beautiful, as Lin’s eyes were already big) and had to up his own voice to match mine. Soon we were louder than the stereo, and we could just barely hear Freddie Mercury’s vocals underneath our own.

Lin removed his hands from mine in order to play some overdramatic air guitar, complete with my overdramatic air drumming. Lin’s laugh was infectious enough to make me giggle, which resulted in me forgetting to sing the lyrics. The other boy barked a laugh at me when I stumbled to find my way back into the song, eventually finding the right words, but due to my random intervals of chuckling it didn’t last long.

“You asshole.” I jokingly punched Lin on the shoulder, and he only flashed a dazzling smile. “Stop making me laugh.”

He shrugged. “I’m not doing anything. You’re the one laughing.” He fired back.

I mocked gasped. “You’re laughing too! How are you supposed to sing while laughing?” I accused, tossing a menacing finger point towards him to add emphasis.

Lin smirked. “I’m not the one that’s singing, Groffsauce. You are.” He shot me a wink, and I had to turn away to conceal my blush.

“All I’m saying is that the song is almost over and we wasted a large portion of it due to you being stupid.” I crossed my arms and pouted at my reflection in the mantelpiece mirror. “That’s your fault, not mine.”

I flinched slightly when Lin wrapped an arm around my waist and plopped his head down on my shoulder. He copied me and stared into the mirror, his eyes darting between my face and his. “You still sounded wonderful, Jonathan.” He muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear over the music.

Lin hitched a breath when I draped my head across his, speaking more to his reflection than I was to him. “Thanks Lin.” I didn’t mean to whisper, but my response came out as one anyways. I looked him dead in the eye through the mirror and forced myself not to smile. “Thanks Linguini.”

The next thing I knew I was sprawled out on the couch with Lin hovering on top of me. I barely registered the realism of our closeness before he was tickling me relentlessly. I shrieked in protest and swatted him away, but he was just a tad bit stronger than I was and I wasn’t able to push him away. “Stop! Dear god please Lin stop!” I pleaded, thrashing wildly under his restraining weight. “This isn’t fair!” Laughing, Lin rolled off my stomach and plopped down on the floor. I heaved several times, trying to calm myself from that offensive attack. “I just… You gave me the nickname Groffsauce, and you can’t have sauce without pasta.” I looked down to find Lin smiling softly at me, which looked somewhat like a frown since I was hanging upside down.

The next moment happened very suddenly, and I’m not even sure if it really happened. I was in the midst of explaining to Lin what a linguini noodle was when he suddenly sprouted up from his spot and lightly feathered his lips across mine. I opened my mouth to speak, but Lin had worked up the courage and actually kissed me. Our lips molded somewhat awkwardly, since it was a weird knockoff Spider-Man kiss, but it was soft and sweet and it left every nerve in my body sparking with electricity. Lin brought his hands up and gripped the fabric of my shirt tightly, as if he was about to fall off the face of the earth if he didn’t have my support. I slowly covered his hands with my own, unsure if Lin was going to move any further.

Lin pulled away first. I blinked a couple of times to adjust to the light before I looked up him with a smile. He stared down at me with a blank expression, aside from the slight rise of his eyebrows. His throat moved a couple of times, as if he was swallowing his nerves, or perhaps trying to find the words to say for what he just did.

“I didn’t know pasta made you so romantic…” I spluttered out lamely. I narrowed my eyes and tried to control my racing heart. Lin watched me with the same monotonous expression as I turned myself around, so that I was facing him nose-to-nose. “Lin… Would you um, would you mind if I…?” I stammered and flicked my gaze down to his lips once again. He closed his eyes and nodded softly, and I took this as an invitation to grab his face and gently direct his lips back to mine.

I sat up fully on the couch to provide Lin an easier way of kissing me as he grabbed my neck to pull me closer. The kiss barely lasted another four seconds before Lin stuttered away from me, as if it took everything in his willpower to do so. “Jonathan…” His breath fanned across my nose, and I felt the corners of my lips twitch happily at the scent of orange juice greeted me. “Jonathan I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”

He was up and out the door before I could get a word in. I stumbled to the ground and stared at the spot he had been previously crouched in front of me. I brought my fingers up and brushed them against my lips, still imagining the feeling of Lin’s warm force against them. He tasted like breakfast. With a heavy sigh I dropped my arm, wondering what I could have possibly done wrong to make him hate me.

-

A rapid set of knocks at the door startled me awake. I groaned loudly when I lifted my head up off the couch, where I had apparently fallen asleep. The clock on the wall read 6:02, and I wasn’t quite sure if that was AM or PM. Curious still I rose to my feet, sauntering my way to the door when another couple of knocks gained my attention.

On the other side of the door stood a fairly attractive teenager with wild hair and an ungodly amount of glorious freckles. I stared at him for a moment, unsure if it was my drowsiness making me so slow or the overwhelming shock of yesterday’s events, but either way the boy had to clear his throat several times to snap me out of my dozing state. “Hi, my name is Anthony.” He greeted, extending a hand towards me to shake. “Anthony Ramos. I was wondering if I could have a quick moment of your time.” I shook his hand hesitantly.

“What do you need to talk about?” I asked the attractive stranger, leaning against my doorframe in an utterly lame attempt to seem cooler than I actually was.

Anthony sighed, shoving his hand back into his coat pocket. “It’s about Lin…” He trailed off when he noticed he had peaked my interest. “May I come in?”

I stepped out of the way almost as soon as the words left his mouth. “I’m Jonathan, if you didn’t know that, which you probably did if you’re here right now talking to me about Lin.” I rambled nervously, taking Anthony’s jacket from his extended hand and hanging it on the rack. “Is something wrong with him?”

The other boy chuckled at my hasty attempt to get answers. “Calm down Jonathan. Lin’s fine, don’t worry, I just feel like there’s something you should know.” I sat down on the couch and waited eagerly for him to continue. “He told us about the kiss…”

“Who the hell is ‘us’?” I interjected with the familiar feeling of panic rising in my throat.

Anthony held a hand up to quiet my speaking. “Just a group of his closest friends, so there’s no reason to worry.” He assured me. “And don’t worry; we’re all totally accepting of Lin’s bisexuality and your clear attraction to men.”

I felt myself blush as I twiddled my thumbs. “Um, y-yeah, I’m gay.” I confirmed which earned me a satisfied grunt in return from Anthony. “Anyways, what about Lin? What happened?”

The smile disappeared from Anthony’s face as he sighed again. “He told us about the kiss, and although I’m really happy that you guys are furthering your relationship I felt the need to tell you something rather… Important.” He swallowed heavily, averting his gaze from mine. “Lin has a girlfriend. Her name is Vanessa, and she’s very protective when it comes to Lin.”

My body seemed to freeze when the words left Anthony’s mouth. He sighed and brought himself closer, rubbing his arm up and down mine in an attempt to comfort me. “He… Has a girlfriend, and he still thought to kiss me?” I asked dejectedly, too stunned to even be angry at my new friend.

Anthony shrugged and draped his arm fully across my shoulders. “He said that it was a heat of the moment sort of deal, but I mean, looking at you right now I’m shocked he waited as long as he did to make a move.” I shot him a playfully stern look, which hopefully masked my confusion. The other boy rolled his shoulders. “What? You’re really attractive.” He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“That’s beside the point.” My nose twitched when I tried to steer us back to the original conversation and I was certain that Anthony could see my creeping salmon blush. “What’s Lin going to do? I mean, he can’t just dump Vanessa for me. I mean, why would he? She had Lin first. I’m just the high school student he met through his cousin two days ago. What shot did I have at him anyways, even if he was single? God I’m stupid…” I muttered, cradling my head in my hands.

The other boy shushed me into silence, opting that an actual hug would provide more comfort than a weak side-hug would. I buried my face in his shoulder and gritted my teeth, forcing myself not to cry over the dumbass I just met. I barely even knew him. Why was I getting so upset that he has a girlfriend? Honestly I’m surprised the thought hadn’t come to me sooner. Lin was perfect in almost every aspect, so the idea of him having a girlfriend wasn’t ridiculous.

Anthony sighed when I finally pulled away from him. I was surprised I didn’t cry, actually, but it didn’t seem like he wouldn’t have minded if I had. “Do you want to stay here tonight, by any chance?” I asked meekly, catching Anthony’s attention. “I… I know it seems like a strange request, but I don’t want to be left alone and I don’t want anyone else here with me. Does that make sense? You understand my situation. Please?” I pleaded, choking back an arising stress sob.

The other boy beamed brightly at me, aggressively taking action to lighten the mood. “Of course I will Jon!” He responded with a little too much enthusiasm. “Oh wow that sounded weird. Okay no, I’m sorry Jonathan. I’ll never call you Jon again.” He must have seen the resentful look I was giving him when he shortened my name. “I heard Lin once refer to you as Groffsauce. Can I call you that?”

I agreed after a moment of hesitation. Before all of this I wanted that nickname to be special; for Lin only. But after recent events I couldn’t give two shits about how it made Lin feel, so in the weakest form of revenge I could think of I nodded my head to Anthony. “Now go pick out a movie, Anthony. I have a feeling we’re in for a long night.”

-

Midway through A Haunting in Connecticut I got a call from an unknown number. “I wouldn’t answer that if I were you,” advised Anthony, munching loudly on his caramel corn. “It could be a stalker.”

He laughed when I jokingly shoved him sideways, but still kept a careful eye trained on me when I accepted the call. In case of a telemarketer, I put the phone on speaker so that Anthony and I could troll the company together.

“Hello?” I greeted in an overly too fake nasally tone, making Anthony cackle loudly and bury his face in a pillow so he wasn’t heard by the person on the other end.

The phone was silent for a while, and I honestly thought about hanging up, when the cough of someone clearing their throat came through the receiver. “Jonathan?” I froze when I recognized Lin’s voice, and by the look on Anthony’s face I could tell that this wasn’t about to be a good situation. “Please tell me I have the right number.”

Anthony fumbled against me for a brief moment, trying to steal the phone away from me. From Lin’s end it probably sounded vaguely dirty, with occasional grunts of protests from me and squeals of alarm from Anthony everything I jabbed my fingers into his side. “Yeah, you’ve got the right number Lin.” I mumbled bleakly in the phone, sticking my tongue out at a pouting Anthony.

Lin sucked in a quick breath, which I felt ghost over my ear and sent chills down my spine. “Hey man…” He started lamely, going silent for a couple seconds after that. “Could you take me off speaker? I can hear Anthony breathing in the background.”

The mentioned let out a mock gasp. “How the fuck did you hear me breathing? I’m literally the quietest breather out of our entire group!” He defended himself, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“I didn’t know you were there, actually. It was just a guess. But now that I do know, Anthony get the hell out of here.” He demanded firmly, leaving no room for Anthony to refuse. Anthony grumbled incoherently for a moment before stating that he was off to make more popcorn. Once he disappeared I took Lin off speaker, immediately feeling a cold sense of dread wash over me when I put the phone to my ear.

I sighed softly to get Lin’s attention. “What do you want, Miranda?” I decided to keep it formal, as I wasn’t sure of our current terms and I was still royally pissed off with him. “What could you possibly have to say to me?”

Lin breathed a strained laugh before falling silent for a moment. “I’m assuming that any attempt at an apology is going to be useless, right?” He questioned earnestly, his voice nervous.

“Damn right.” I retorted firmly, attempting to cross my arms. I saw Anthony poking his head out from the kitchen.

The other huffed. “Look, Jonathan, I didn’t mean to lead you on like that. I guess… I wasn’t thinking about Vanessa, and I was so caught up in your soft smile and I just totally blanked all reason, and I shouldn’t have kissed you when I did but honestly it felt really good and I’m currently a mixture of both really regretful and in absolute bliss. I just… I wanted to get that off my chest before I vomited from stress. Goodnight, Groffsauce.” He then hung out, but not before I heard a soft string of swear words fumble from his mouth.

“What did he say?” Anthony asked quietly, walking into the room like a deer in the headlights.

I turned to look at him, offering him his former share of Oak’s duvet. “He tried to apologize, and then explained the situation.” Anthony nodded as I explained.

“What did you say to him?” My newfound friend asked with genuine concern in his usual cheery tone.

“I didn’t have time to say anything to him, actually. He hung up before I could reply.” I crinkled my nose in disgust. “Also you burnt your popcorn.”

I laughed when Anthony shot up quickly, a string of “fucks” on his lips as he raced to the kitchen. I got up and followed him, watching in amusement as he grabbed the popcorn out of the microwave and quickly fanned the air around him. “Aw fuck man this is all they’re going to be able to smell forever now.” Anthony complained easily, swatting the microwave with a damp towel, laughing every time it made a wet plap noise. I chuckled at his immaturity, which greatly heightened my mood, and for the first time I was actually grateful for Anthony Ramos.

-

I was startled awake by – once again – a rapid knock at the door. Anthony was already awake and was drowsily staring at me with a confused glint in his dimmed eyes. I shrugged at him, and together we rose to our feet. I grabbed the fire poker from beside the fireplace and handed it to Anthony, in case we needed a weapon. He held it firmly as I crept towards the door, poising it above his head in a defense tactic.

Anthony screamed when I opened the door, and I couldn’t help but laugh at him. A woman stood at the doorstep, with attractive features and a pissed off look. Once Anthony regained his composure and actually looked who was at the door, he once again screamed, only this time it was in mock terror. “Jonathan, run, she’ll murder you!” He exclaimed, grabbing my sleeve and tugging me away.

“Anthony, shut up.” She hissed playfully, narrowing her eyes at him. It was in that moment I realized that they were acquainted, but why she wanted to kill me I had no idea. I turned my attention back to her when it clicked.

This was Vanessa.

“Oh, shit, woah, woah…” I started clumsily, holding my hands out in front of myself for protection. Anthony gathered me behind him. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to. It was a heat of the moment thing. Don’t blame me, please. Also don’t kill me. I rather like living. Please?” Vanessa chuckled at my pleads.

She let herself in and slammed the door behind her. “So, by random guess I’m going to assume that you’re Jonathan Groff, right? The one who kissed my boyfriend?” She accused me, tossing a menacing finger my way for emphasis.

“I didn’t mean to do it. To be fair he kissed me first. I’m totally not interested in him at all. He didn’t tell me he had a girlfriend, and if he had I totally wouldn’t have kissed him. Shit, I mean I wouldn’t have kissed him back. Though he is a really nice kisser. That’s not the topic of this discussion. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I’m done with Lin-Manuel Miranda. He’s a bit of an ass if I do say so myself. What kind of arrogant prick would cheat on his girlfriend? Not me, that’s for sure. Oh wait, hold on. Wait no I’m gay. I would never cheat on my boyfriend. Ha. There. That’s better. Wow is it hot in here or is it just me? Hahaha…” I trailed off, looking nervously towards Anthony first, then to Vanessa.

They were both silent for a moment before they shared a glance, giggled, and then began full on laughing at me. Anthony hugged me from behind to show his appreciation for my amusing rambling. “Jonathan, calm down man.” He chided, pulling me off the ground. He carried my confused ass back into the living room, and in a quick moment he plopped me down on the couch, to which he then fell in my lap to keep me pinned to the spot. Vanessa came in a moment later, letting her thick brown hair out of the constricting bun it was in. “She just wants to talk.”

Anthony’s reassuring tone didn’t match the cold look Vanessa shot me. I swallowed animatedly and shrunk down against Anthony’s grip, welcoming his comforting warmth. I removed my gaze from the woman in front of me, scared that if I stared at her for much longer I’d melt into a nervous puddle.

The room was silent for another four and a half minutes (which I counted through my hammering heartbeats) before Vanessa coughed loudly to clear her throat. She leaned forward in her seat, her gaze burning into my face. I nearly whimpered due to the intensity of the moment. “I’m not mad.” She stated after a moment.

I looked up at her in shock, causing Anthony to recoil with a huff when the back of my head hit his nose. He removed an arm from my torso to rub at it gingerly, and after a second he realized it wasn’t bleeding and resecured his grip. “You’re not mad at me?” I echoed in astonishment, staring at her with wide eyes. Vanessa shook her head. “H-How? I kissed your boyfriend? Shouldn’t you be… I mean- Anthony?” I turned to my friend, hoping for answers, but my surprise was mirrored on his face.

Vanessa sighed and leaned back in her chair. “No, I’m not mad.” She repeated, shooting me a small smile. “Actually I sort of assumed something was going on between you two after your Usher performance in the park.” I blushed, realizing that she was probably the girl he had originally been serenading before me. “I’m sort of – I dunno – irritated? I didn’t think he’d cheat on me, but I’m not surprised either.” Suddenly she looked nervous; she shrouded herself against the back of the chair and began to fiddle her thumbs together. “If I’m being honest, I’m sort of grateful…”

“Why?” I questioned, spitting out a square of Anthony’s sleeve that had somehow found itself into my mouth.

The woman smiled sheepishly at me, and Anthony gave a small ‘ah’ of acknowledgement in my ear. “There’s sort of this… Other person… In my life…” She began with a bright red blush. “I, uh, I’ve been looking for a reason to break up with Lin for a while now, but I could never find one.”

My mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile. “Another person?” I turned to Anthony. “Him?”

The two shared a horror-filled look before Vanessa chuckled. “No, no. He has a girlfriend, and I’m sure that Jasmine is plenty sure that I’m not interested. Her name is Shiloh, actually.” She looked at me knowingly, and it clicked.

“You’re… You’re a lesbian?” I questioned breathlessly, completely taken aback by the sudden plot twist.

Vanessa shrugged with a shit-eating grin on her face. “What can I say? Woman are hot.” Anthony laughed loudly as I crinkled my nose in mock disagreement. “But seriously, I realized about a year ago that I wasn’t attracted to men – or to Lin, sadly – and I’ve been struggling with it ever since.”

A small gasp escaped my lips. “So… Wait… Does that mean you’re going to tell Lin the truth?” I attempted to lean forward to get my curiosity across better, but Anthony was still attached to the side of my body.

The woman shrugged. “Probably. I know that he really likes you, and I wouldn’t be offended if we was eager to break up either.” She chuckled. “It’s completely fine, Jonathan, honestly. I’ll be okay.” She looked at the clock. “I’ve got to go. I’d… I’d better let the two of you get back to sleep.”

I glanced at the clock. “What the fuck are you doing here at 4:30 in the morning?!” I asked incredulously, causing Anthony to whip his head in the direction of the clock hanging on the wall.

Vanessa shrugged if it was no big deal. “I was in the neighborhood and I decided to stop in before I forgot.” She got to her feet and smiled sweetly down at us. “Thanks for the talk, boys. I’ll see you later.” She bent down, kissed both of us on the cheek, and sashayed her way out the door.

-

“This has been the craziest week of my life, Oak. Honestly. I’m… I’m so bamboozled.” The phone probably didn’t pick up my sigh; it was sitting on top of my dresser (on speaker phone) on the other side of the room whilst I was packing my stuff up. “I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I see you tomorrow.”

Oak gave a slightly muffled laugh before yawning. “Me neither, Groff. I have so many stories and pictures for you. Ah, god it’s going to be awesome! This has honestly been the best summer of my life.” He dreamily sighed into the phone, and I chuckled as I imagined the far-away look in his eyes.

The doorbell rang a few moments later, interrupting my story about Hercules chasing after a pregnant cat. “I’ve got to go, Oak. I’ll see you tomorrow bud.”

“See you then, Jonathan.” He then hung up, and I crossed the room to do the same before pocketing my phone and sliding it into my pocket.

It was Friday, and Oak was set to return the next day. I was sort of disappointed my time with Anthony and Hercules was coming to an end, but my new friend and I had decided to hang out at every convenient time we could think. Anthony had spent the night almost every night since the first (which was a total of three sleepovers. None were as memorable as the first one with Vanessa’s sudden appearance), and in that time he and I had gotten really close. Neither of us had heard from Lin or Vanessa in those few days, which secretly worried me, but I wasn’t about to let Anthony know that.

Speaking of the dark-skinned Devil, Lin’s smiling face greeted me as I opened the door. Immediately Hercules thought to growl, but at my sharp command to shut up he gave a throaty huff and hobbled away. I shooed him into the living room quickly before I returned to Lin at the door, who was waiting patiently with his arms crossed behind his back.

“Good afternoon, Lin.” I greeted curtly, leaning against the doorframe. “Long time no speak. What’re you doing here?” I noticed instantly that he was nervous; he was sweating, avoiding eye contact, and kept shifting his weight to either foot.

He was silent for a moment, in which he didn’t even look at me, but after a brief hesitation he uncrossed his arms from behind his back, revealing a huge bouquet of dazzling autumn-colored flowers. I stumbled back in surprise, totally unsuspecting of what he had been hiding. “Lin what the ff-”

“I’m sorry Jonathan.” He spoke earnestly, with a genuine smile on his face. “I didn’t mean to lead you on, and I most definitely didn’t mean to hurt you.” He motioned towards me with the flowers. “I know that you’re angry with me, and I completely understand why, but could you find it somewhere within you to forgive me?” He looked up at me with his big, brown eyes and at once I felt all my disdain melt away.

Lin huffed a laugh when I threw myself at him, tackling him in a hug. “I forgive you, Linguini, I forgive you.” I buried my face into the crook of his neck and held him close, uncaring of the dirty look the woman across the street shot us. Lin hooked his arm around my waist to secure the hug, and I couldn’t help but chortle when I felt the petals of the flowers tickle the back of my neck. “Come inside, please.”

The flowers were abandoned on the floor as soon as the door slammed shut. Lin had swept me into his arms, and was currently making his way to the living room. He set me lightly on my feet and grabbed both of my hands in his warm ones, grasping them tight. I looked him in the eye and felt myself smile involuntarily at the gentle look he was giving me. Without another second wasted I kissed him, and I kissed him as softly and as sweetly as I could. Lin hummed in approval and removed a hand from mine to cup my face, increasing the already overbearingly romantic moment.

We pulled away mutually, and the look in his eye was enough to make my knees weak. “Vanessa told me the whole story, and I cannot even begin to describe how happy I was to find out that you didn’t hate me.” He shifted our position so that he could pull me closer to him by the shoulders. “I’m so infatuated with every part of you, Groffsauce, and it killed me to believe that I hurt you. From the moment I heard you rapping Baby Got Back in that very kitchen,” he pointed towards the stove. “I knew there was something special about you. I was scared shitless the first time we kissed because I wasn’t sure if you were interested, and I wasn’t even thinking about Vanessa. But the more time that dragged on, and the more stories Anthony told me about you, the harder I fell for you, and I couldn’t bear to be apart from you for any longer. I was embarrassingly overjoyed when Vanessa admitted to me about Shiloh. I came over here almost right away, aside from the quick stop to the florist. She kept talking about my girlfriend and when I told her the flowers were for another man she was even more thrilled. It was sort of awesome. She paid for them. Anyways, Jonathan, I hope that you’ll accept my offer and allow me to take you on a date. A real, proper first date.” He looked up at me, grinning sincerely when he noticed the tears brimming my eyes.

I kissed him again, silently agreeing to the date. Lin didn’t mind when I began crying. He only kissed me again and brushed the tears away with him thumbs, chiding softly that everything would work out perfectly. I nodded into the kiss, showing him how grateful I was for his comforting words, and every time I did so he kissed me again. I pulled away a couple of times to stifle some sobs, and each time Lin did nothing but hold me securely and look at me like I was the most precious thing in the entire world. I kissed him one last time before my tears ceased, and I was left a dry-heaving mess.

“T-There’s a new H-Harry Potter movie out…” Lin’s eyes filled with tears as well as I spoke. “Can we go see that on our date?”

Lin pressed his forehead to mine, and I tangled my fingers in his long hair. “Anything you want, Jonathan. Anything you want.”

I pulled away and sniffed heavily, trying to make myself even the slightest bit presentable. I stared into Lin’s eyes and felt my heart hammering painfully in my chest. My head swirled with different emotions, each one accompanied by a thick cloud of blur. The only feeling I could decipher from the rest was trust. I trusted Lin completely with everything, and to break the clichés it didn’t scare me at all. I knew Lin wasn’t the kind of guy to break my heart intentionally, and even if he didn’t I trusted him enough to have it be for a good reason.

The room was silent, except Hercules’s collar loop hitting against the metal adjustable thing every time he scratched. I grabbed onto one of Lin’s hand and breathed a content sigh. “So… Does this mean that we’re boyfriends?” I asked, scared in my voice.

Lin pressed one final kiss to my lips before pulling away to look at me with a smile. “Of course Groffsauce. Of course.”

-

Epilogue:

“So… Wait… Let me get this straight.” Oak pinched the bridge of his nose, causing me to cast a frozen glance over at Lin. “When I left – one week ago – you two were complete strangers.” Lin and I nodded, and the area between our grasped hands became sweaty. “And now you’re dating? And you met Anthony?” I nodded. “How in the hell… Jonathan, man, you’ve got to teach me your ways.”

Lin and I grunted when Oak pulled us into a tight hug. “I’m happy for y’all. This was… Really weird… But I’m happy for the both of you. Truly.” He pulled away and smiled brightly at us.

The larger man let us go after a brief, loving moment. “I honestly wasn’t expecting a reaction like that…” I muttered softly, more to myself, but directed towards Oak. “Dude, you didn’t even know I was gay. How in the hell?” Oak’s smile was gentle.

“Jonathan, man, I love you and everything, but you’re gayer than Elton John. It was really obvious. I accepted it back in third grade dude.” My jaw hung open, and both of the other boys laughed. “Still love you all the same.”

Lin chuckled to himself. “Well, I’m glad this turned out the way it did.” He mentioned, pecking my cheek. “How about that movie, Groffsauce?”

Oak narrowed his eyes at me. “Oh, yeah,” He sounded confused, which caused me to snicker. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. What the hell kind of nickname is Groffsauce for your boyfriend Lin?”

I shrugged. “He’s Linguini, I’m Groffsauce. It just sort of happened on the first day.” Lin nodded in agreement with me. “It happened when we were watching Harry Potter. There was chemistry right from the very beginning.” I blushed and found Lin gazing at me with his stupidly large eyes full of fondness.

Suddenly Lin snapped his attention back to his cousin. I looked at Lin quickly to find him smiling deviously. “Hey, Oak, I have a question…” My boyfriend started, shooting me a quick, smug look before returning to my friend’s steady eye contact. “Have you ever taken the Pottermore house quiz?”


	5. 5.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> flower shop grofflin

This wasn’t exactly my dream first job, but it was something. I guess I shouldn’t have been expecting something so extraordinary, seeing as I was eighteen and hardly graduated from high school. And the money was decent, so you definitely weren’t going to catch me complaining about it.

There was another kid who worked here too, Anthony – he was a beautiful dark skinned boy with wild hair and painted with angelic freckles. I had seen him around school before we graduated, but hardly talked. He was very cute, and I often times found myself staring at him to pass the long six hour shifts.

It was fruitless, however, as one day a beautiful girl came into the shop looking for Anthony. The other boy was flustered and fawning over the girl, and it didn’t take an expert to figure out that they were dating. He was always stealing flowers to give to her, which she always tucked into her long, wavy hair. She really was beautiful, and Anthony was a lucky kid.

“Her name is Jasmine.” Anthony said one day after she had left. There was a hint of hostility in his tone, as if he were challenging me to stay away from her. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

I patted my friend on the shoulder to show him that I approved. “Definitely, Anthony.” He looked at me sparingly from the corner of his eye, and I smiled softly. “Also I’m gay, so you don’t need to feel threatened by me.”

Anthony’s look turned from sappy to shock in a minute. “Wait, seriously?” I nodded. “Shit, sorry man. I had no idea.”

“Don’t worry about it, man. It’s really no big deal. But I could tell what you were thinking, and I wanted to reassure you that I wasn’t going to try and steal Jasmine from you.” I explained, twiddling with my thumbs. I don’t know why I decided to blurt that out to Anthony, but it felt right.

My friend nodded absently. “I-I didn’t mean to accuse you of-.”

“I know.” I laughed as the door opened and the bell above it rang quietly. “I just wanted to clarify.”

Anthony nodded just as the customer came around the corner. The other boy excused himself to go to the bathroom, which left me alone to deal with the unbelievably handsome man standing in front of me.

His skin was sun-kissed and golden, and his hair lay in lazy waves across his shoulders, apart from the bit that was drawn up in a bun on top of his head. He was shorter than me, so I had to look down slightly to look him in this stupid beautiful brown eyes. They were huge, puppy-dog eyes that were dull with age and experience. Not that the man was old – older than me, maybe, but not old. He had his arms crossed over a light gray sweater and was putting all of his weight on his right hip.

“Um, excuse me?” He waved a hand in front of my face. I jumped a bit in surprise at first, but blushed madly as I realized that I had probably been staring at him. “Do you work here?”

Working up the courage to speak, I nodded. “Yes I do! Welcome to Michele’s Flower Shop. What can I do you for?” The introduction came to me naturally, which helped cease some of the awkward.

The man turned away from me and started walking down the aisles, examining the bouquets we had on display. I wasn’t sure if I should follow him or not, but at his curious eyebrow I did just that.

“Are you looking for anything particular, sir?” I asked as politely as I could, easily masking my nervousness.

He shook his head, paused for a moment, and then looked at me quizzically. “Do you believe that different types of flowers had different meanings?” He asked suddenly, staring into my eyes with a weird intensity that made me feel inferior.

I nodded at his question. “Oh, yes I do. Flowers don’t just look pretty; they all have meanings, meanings that are very important depending on the person that you’re giving them to.” I explained.

The man nodded slowly, removing his eyes from my face and dragging them across the flowers. “Do you have anything that says, “I’m really proud of you, you did great?” Preferably in bulk?”

“Right away, sir!” I smiled, and the man scoffed. “Is something wrong?”

“Call me Lin, sweetheart.” He responded cheekily, whether he meant to or not. “Sir makes me sound so old. I’m only twenty three.”

Smirking to myself, I led the man across the store to the wall of bouquets for large occasions. “Hydrangeas are a good choice, because they mean something along the lines of emotion, or understanding.” I started, pointing at the fresh purple bunch. “Then you have the Gladiolus, which means strength and integrity.” I wracked my brain for more flowers. “Um… You’ve got the Freesia, which means passion, or joy-.”

“That one.” Lin demanded, pointing to the small white flower that I was. “I like that one. It’s elegant looking, and passion and joy is exactly what I’m going for, baby.” I blushed at his compliment, whether he directed it towards me or not.

I grabbed a bouquet off the shelf and handed them to Lin so he could take a closer look. The older man shifted through each flower, examining them to make sure they were pristine. After he finished, he gave me a big smile. “I’ll take them.”

Lin followed me over to the register. “How many bunches are you looking for?” I asked as I stopped behind the counter.

“About three.” He answered, handing me the bouquet. I nodded to him and disappeared into the back, where the non-display flowers were located. I wrapped three bunches, which had about twelve flowers in each, and secured them with cream colored ribbons for decoration. I studied my handiwork for a moment, admiring how good I had gotten at wrapping bouquets.

The flowers obstructed my view of Lin as I carried them back out into the store. I set them down onto the counter before the older man, who eyed them excitedly. “Alright… That is going to be fifty-seven dollars.” I announced after I had finished ringing up the flowers.

Lin nodded and handed me three twenties. I gave him his change and set him up with a carrying box for his bouquets. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you need three dozen Freesias?”

The older man looked at me, a twinkle in his eye. “They’re for my cast.” He mumbled. “It’s their first performance tonight and I wanted to do something special.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Cast? Are you in a movie or something?” I asked quizzically, and Lin laughed.

“Not exactly.” He was backing up towards the door now, and with each footstep I felt my curiosity growing. “It’s a Broadway cast.” My mouth fell open in surprise as Lin called out a final goodbye, and the door slammed shut behind him.

“What was that about?” I jumped when Anthony suddenly appeared at my shoulder, staring after where Lin had left.

I rubbed the back of my neck with one hand and pushed a sweaty curl out of my eyes with the other. “That guy was a Broadway director!” I hissed under my breath, suddenly excited.

I met a real Broadway director!

-

The store was quiet when I entered. Anthony had called in sick, which left me alone in the store today. Our manager, Chris Jackson, was hardly ever here, as he somehow managed to live a somewhat luxurious life in upstate New York. He ran the shop well, but basically left it to me and Anthony to run. We were supposed to be hiring soon, so Anthony and I could take some days off, but we hadn’t discussed anything particular yet.

I wasn’t set to open for another twenty minutes, so I went about my usual business of sweeping up the fallen petals, making sure the mister was working properly and wasn’t jammed, and making sure my cash drawer was set and ready for the day. I opened at eight sharp, but didn’t see anyone until noon.

I didn’t hear the bell on the door ring as someone pushed their way into the store; I was in back doing inventory. It was also because of the fact that the lyrics to Singing in the Rain were drowning out the quiet bell. The words fell from my mouth as I sang them to myself.

Unbeknownst to me, there were two customers in the store. Two customers that I definitely did not want to be in that store at that moment.

Lin looked over at his companion as he caught wind of Jonathan’s singing. He listened and held a finger up to his lips, silencing the words that failed to fall from the girl’s open mouth. Lin crept forward, towards the sound of the singing, wondering who was producing such a beautiful melody. 

I had just finished the second verse when the two customers walked around the corner into the storeroom. Still, I had my back to them. I was arranging the petunias so that they were easier to grab in bundles off the shelves, too focused on that to pay any attention to Lin and the girl, now standing in the doorway.

“Is this the boy you’re seeing?” Lin’s sudden voice caused me to flinch, and I slipped off of the step ladder I was standing on. I fell to the ground, catching my foot on the last rung of the ladder and landing with a very awkward grunting sound. Pain laced through my ankle, but as I scrambled to my feet, the pain gradually ebbed.

Jasmine was standing with Lin behind her in the doorway. She wore a smirk, but her eyes were wide, as if she was curious as to how I was.

Embarrassment flooded my senses, and I had to look away from her intense stare. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” I muttered as I pretended to dust myself off. “What are you doing here, Jazzy?”

“Is Anthony in?” She asked, trying to peer around Jonathan into the room, but Jonathan shook his head. “Where is he?”

“He called in sick.” I replied solemnly. “It’s just me today.”

Jasmine frowned. “You guys really need to hire someone new.” She pointed out, wagging a finger in my direction. “You can’t work open to close every time Anthony can’t come in.”

Sighing, I ran my fingers through my curls. “I know, I know.” I glanced at Lin. “Oh, hey Lin.”

Lin gave me a grin, but he seemed distracted. Still, the beauty of his smile caused my heart to flutter and my breath to catch in my throat. “Heya, kid.”

“Jonathan. Jonathan Groff.” I stuck my hand out for him to shake. He did so with two very precise jerks before he retracted his hand. “Is there anything else I can get for you two since Anthony isn’t here?”

Jasmine shook her head, but Lin looked thoughtful for a moment. “Was that you in here singing just a minute ago?” He asked under his breath, but maintaining strong eye contact.

Blushing, I nodded my head. “Um, yeah… Sorry you had to hear that…” I wasn’t sure why I was apologizing, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Lin chuckled. “Groff, man, that was actually really good.” Slowly I looked up at him, my mouth falling open. He laughed again at the look on my face. “Oh, we’d better get back to the theater, Jasmine.”

The two exited the storeroom, and I floundered for several seconds before following them out. “Wait! Jasmine, you’re in Lin’s show?” The familiar excitement when I found out about Lin’s occupation returned.

Jasmine turned back to face me, looking surprised. “Um, yeah!” She grinned. “But don’t tell Anthony yet. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

I nodded and noticed Lin leaning against the front register nonchalantly, his hand flat against the wood counter. I stared at him for a brief second before I cleared my throat. “Promise I won’t tell him.” I shot Jasmine a wink, and she grinned at me.

“Flirting with your best friend’s girl?” Lin asked cheekily, his eyes narrowed playfully at me.

I rolled my eyes. “She’s not my type, Lin. I’ve been through this before.” I chuckled as I took out a rag and started to clear the counter.

Lin scoffed. “Oh yeah, if she’s not your type, then what is?” He challenged.

My heart skipped a beat as I made eye contact with Lin again. His eyes looked playful, but for a moment all I could feel was restricted confidence.

“You.”

Jasmine’s eyes widened as the word left my mouth, but I forced myself to not seem shaken at my own confession. Lin mirrored Jasmine’s look with his enormous brown eyes. I gave them both a curt nod before I made my way back into the storeroom.

I didn’t leave until I heard the minute jingle of the bell as they left the store. I let out a deep sigh and walked back out into the now empty store. My rag lay in a crumpled heap on the counter where I had been cleaning, and beside it was a small piece of paper.

Curious, I walked over and snatched the paper off the counter. I unfolded it carefully, and written in sloppy handwriting was Lin’s phone number.

-

“So, Lea, have you ever worked as a florist before?” I asked as the bubbly brunette turned around to examine the wall of flowers.

Lea nodded enthusiastically, then shook her head. “Well, not exactly. I gardened with my mom when I was growing up, and I’ve always sort of wanted to be a botanist until I actually realized the amount of science that takes.” She explained with a bright smile.

I mirrored her grin. “That’s great! Have you ever bunched flowers before?” I asked.

Again, Lea nodded. “Oh, yes! I used to do it for my friends during prom season with flowers from our greenhouse.” She seemed rather excited for this job, and her enthusiasm was rather infectious.

Ever since Lin and Jasmine had come into the store – over two weeks ago, now – I had been feeling constant secondhand embarrassment from my own actions. Every time I thought back to my final interaction with Lin, my stomach erupted in uncomfortable butterflies and I felt my chest want to cave in with cringe.

I hadn’t seen Lin since, but Jasmine had come into the store to see Anthony quite few times. Every time she did, she looked at me with the same twinkle in her eye. It made me self-conscious. Like she knew something that I didn’t.

Lin’s number was saved safely into my phone, but I hadn’t used it at all. I was too nervous. Sure, he left me his number, but I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. Maybe he just wanted to be friends? Yeah, that could be it. Definitely it.

“Hey, Lea?” I asked, interrupting her excited rambling. She looked at me expectantly. “I have to take care of some quick business. Will you be okay by yourself here for a few minutes?”

“Of course!” I grinned, knowing damn well that I could rely on Lea and her knowledge of flowers. “You can count on me!”

I waved to her as I took off my apron and tossed it on the counter. I grabbed my phone and made my way out into the warm spring air.

The bench next to the store was occupied, so instead I made my way across the street to the bowling alley. It wasn’t exactly ideal, but I just needed some place to sit down and think about what I was doing.

I found an empty booth and slid into the right slide. My phone slid across the table and I grabbed it before it fell onto the other seat. I twiddled my thumbs around it briefly, contemplating what I was going to text Lin. My last interaction with him was so awkward, so who knew if he even wanted to talk to me anymore? I had no idea when he put his number on the counter; it very well could have been before I came onto him and he just forgot to pick it up when he left in a haste.

Hey Lin! It’s Jonathan. Sorry I hadn’t gotten to you sooner. I typed out, then erased it. It’s Jonathan, Lin. How are you? Ew, no, that sounded way too formal. Hey Lin! Alright, that was a good start. I’m sorry for waiting so long to text you. Alright, this sounded good. Why did you leave your number?

I quickly hit send and got up from the booth. I shrugged my phone into my pocket and made my way back across the street. There was a car sitting out front of the shop. A bubble of excitement ran down my spine at the thought of Lea dealing with her first customer. She was so bright and eager to learn; she was definitely the right hire.

“Hey Lea!” I called as I stepped through the door, my voice drowning out the little bell. “How’s it coming?” Lea appeared from around the corner, an orchid in her hand. “Ah, the flower of admiration and innocence.” I cooed, plucking the flower from her hand and holding it to my nose to sniff. “Who’s it for?”

“Me.” A familiar voice answered, and I froze. I spun around to look at Lin, who was standing behind me with a bouquet of orchids in his hand. The one in mine dropped to the floor as I took in how nice Lin looked.

He was wearing his hair down, which was an amazing sight by itself, but his hair looked so soft and full of volume. He was wearing a suit – well, not exactly a suit – but a blazer overtop of a nice gray button up and a pair of blue jeans. His face was clean shaven except for the neat goatee surrounding his mouth, which was drawn up in a soft smile.

“O-Oh, hey Lin.” I managed to force myself to reply, quickly snapping out of my daze. “Is that your car outside?”

Lin nodded. “Yes it is.” He then turned to Lea, who was grinning at us with wide eyes. “Can you wrap these up for me, sweetheart?”

Lea nodded vigorously. “Right away, sir!” I involuntarily smirked as I remembered that Lin didn’t liked being called sir, but his face held nothing but a pleasant smile. “Jonathan, can you help me quick?”

I followed her into the back room, where she laid the orchids down. “Oh my gosh, Jonathan, he is so cute!” She gushed as I grabbed a light blue ribbon to tie the flowers in. “Wonder why he’s buying so many orchids.”

“He’s a Broadway director, so he’s probably buying them for his cast.” I explained, neatly wrapping the bunch up in the ribbon.

Lea’s eyes remained huge as she turned to look at me. “He’s a Broadway director? Jonathan, that’s so exciting!” I shushed her and quickly glanced back to the door, where Lin stood behind the counter with his hands in his pockets, staring around the store and showing no signs that he had overheard her outburst.

With the bundle perfectly wrapped, I brought the bunch back out to Lin. “He’s already paid.” Lea whispered into my ear as I brought the flowers over to Lin.

“Here you go.” I said politely, handing the flowers over to Lin. “But this is less than the amount of flowers you bought last month; are they for your cast?” I asked.

Lin admired the flowers for a moment, looking over their perfect wrapping, before he plucked one out of the bundle and held it tightly between his fingers. “No, they’re just for me.” He replied, flicking his gaze to me. He extended the flower, and I took it with a shaky hand. “I’ll see you later, Groff.” And with that, he was gone.

-

“Man, this shift is so slow!” Anthony complained and laid his head down on the counter. I laughed at his immature whining, silently agreeing with him. Lea couldn’t come in today, so Anthony and I both agreed to cover her night shift. We were both here from open until close. “I just wish it were like, prom season or something so we would be full of teenagers looking for corsages.”

I patted Anthony’s back sympathetically. “I know, brother. But at least we have decent Wi-Fi!” I joked, waggling my phone in front of Anthony’s face. The other boy grinned.

We were sat side by side on the floor scrolling through Instagram when the door chimed, and immediately we shot to our feet. In strolled two dark-skinned boys; one with wild curls and one wearing a stocking cap.

“Hello! Welcome to Michele’s. If you need any help, please feel free to ask!” Anthony greeted the customers, and I cemented his introduction with a friendly head nod.

The boy with the curls came up to the counter. “Do you guys have gold roses by any chance?” He asked, glancing around the store.

I nodded. “Yep! We sure do. Follow me!” I instructed and led the boy to the corner of the store, where our wide variety of rose colors sat placed in rainbow order.

“Yo, Oak! They have them!” The boy called to the other one, who popped his head out from an aisle shelf.

“Sweet, Daveed. Maybe Renée won’t be as mad at you after you get her flowers.” The one called Oak slapped Daveed on the shoulder.

“Hopefully.” He sighed. “How much does it cost for one gold rose?” He asked.

I cleared my throat and laced my fingers together. “That is going to be twelve dollars.” I responded, grabbing one off the shelf for the boys to examine.

Daveed inspected the rose, as if he were deciding, but the look in his eyes was enough to tell me that he wanted it. “I’ll take two, then.” I grabbed another one off the shelf and handed it to Oak.

I led the way back to the counter, where Anthony rang the boys up. They were chatting like they were old friends, which wouldn’t surprise me, seeing as these boys looked our age and had probably gone to high school with us.

“Alright, have a great day.” Anthony said his farewell. “Oh, and say hi to Jazzy for me!”

My interested peaked as he said this, and I walked over to him. “Jazzy? They know Jasmine?” I questioned.

Anthony nodded. “Oh yes! They’re in that Broadway show with her. That’s Daveed Diggs and Okieriete Onaodowan.”

“Woah, what a mouthful.” I huffed at Oak’s name. “But it oddly suits him.” I mused.

“Doesn’t it?” Answered Anthony thoughtfully.

Suddenly the bell rang again, and we watched as the aforementioned boy came trotting back in with one of the flowers gripped tightly in his hands.

I walked out from around the corner and approached him. “Sir, is something wrong with this flower? We can get you a replacement-.” I was cut off when Oak shoved the flower into my chest, causing me to stop talking with a huff of air at the impact.

Oak looked at me for a moment. “This is from Lin.” He murmured, tearing his gaze away. I barely had time to grab the flower before Oak was again racing out the door. I stared at the gold rose in my hand, admiring its beauty and the newfound information that it came from Lin.

“Who’s Lin?” Anthony asked, stretching his body across the table to get a better look at the flower I was holding in my hands.

I held the rose close and breathed it in. “I don’t exactly know yet.” I muttered, my head swirling with different thoughts as to what the gold rose – and the orchid, for that matter – could mean for Lin. Yellow roses meant friendship and caring, but the orchid meant admiration.

As I was lost in my thoughts I hardly noticed my phone buzz in my pocket. I grabbed out my phone to see that I had a text from Lin. It was the first time he had responded to me since the previous day when I had texted him. Suddenly I grew nervous.

With a shaking thumb, I opened the message. It was a picture of the second golden rose that he had purchased, with a caption that read, “Jusqu'à demain...”

“Hey Anthony, do you speak French by any chance?” I asked, and the other boy nodded, although he didn’t seem confident. “Can you translate this?”

Anthony took my phone from my hand and read the message, lip syncing the words to himself a couple of times. “Um, I’m pretty sure it says ‘see you tomorrow,’ but it just looks like whoever wrote it just put the words through Google Translate.” He shrugged.

So I did just that and put the words into Google Translate and translated them back to English. “It means ‘until tomorrow,’ which means that you were pretty damn close, Ramos.” I praised, and Anthony gave me an exaggerated bow.

“Whatever man.” He scoffed in a playful manner. “I’m going to go snip stems. You okay out here?” I nodded and the other boy walked off. I looked at the picture of my same rose, and with a jolt of excitement that reached every inch of my body, I realized that I would be seeing Lin again tomorrow.

-

Like the text promised, I saw Lin the next day. His hair was now drawn back into a ponytail that sat high on his head, and he was wearing a plain red t-shirt with a pair of dark jeans. Still, he managed to take my breath away at how good he looked.

“Hey, Groffsauce.” He smiled, acting as casual as the most casual person in the world.

I gave him a smile. “Hi Lin.” I responded brightly. “Are you here to buy more flowers?”

Lin nodded. “Yep. Do you have a flower that means that you adore something?” He looked a little nervous, but I shrugged it off.

I walked over to the sunflowers, pulling one out and laying it gently in his hands. “Adoration and loyalty.” I confirmed, admiring the sunflower.

Looking over the flower, Lin gave a curt nod. “I’ll take it, thanks.”

I led him over to the counter and rang him up. “So, is it for someone special?” I couldn’t help but ask; there was no need to get my hopes up if there was someone else in his life.

Lin nodded, and I gave him a curious look. “It’s a secret, Groffsauce.” He cooed, grabbing the sunflower off of the counter. I barely had time to say goodbye before he was out the door.

Four hours later, I was closing. I stuck my key into the lock and secured the store, not that anyone would really want to rob a floral shop. It was just precaution.

I stuck my hands in my pockets and was about to begin my trek home when something caught my eye. A delicate yellow flower sat on the bench, and it didn’t take a genius to know that it was a sunflower.

Picking the flower up, I remembered that the only sunflower I had sold all day was to Lin. I tossed the flower back and forth in my hands, wondering what it was doing out here on the bench.

Taped to the inner disk was a piece of paper. I took it out and unrolled it like a scroll, my nerves building.

On it was an address. I had never been to this place before, as the address was unrecognizable, but the time caught my eye. 9:30. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was 9:07. Did Lin intend for me to meet him at this mystery spot right now?

Against my better judgement, I found myself hailing a cab and feeding the address to him. “How long of a drive is it?” I asked.

The cabbie shrugged. “About fifteen minutes.”

I still had a good twenty minutes to get there, so I sat back and tried to calm my racing nerves. Why was I going along with this? I should be on my way home, getting ready for bed. Not in a cab on my way to some unknown location just because there was a piece of paper taped to a sunflower than Lin had bought earlier in the day. Why was I doing this?

Maybe you like him. A voice rang out in my head, and I dismissed it. There was no way that I liked Lin. I hardly knew him. Hell, I didn’t even know his last name. I only knew his first name, his occupation, and that he had a strange love for flowers.

My thoughts were disturbed when we pulled up to the place written on the paper. I tossed the cabbie some money and climbed out. It was a theater. The Richard Rodgers Theater, to be exact. On the door was another piece of paper. I walked over, narrowly missing the vase of orchids on the gravel beside the door. I picked up the vase and plucked the note off the door.

Up the stairs. All the way up. It read. I stuck the paper in my pocket and pushed my way into the theater.

Cold air hit me immediately, and I suppressed a shiver as I made my way to the staircase. Laying across the first step was a stock, and I grew more confused. Beauty and happiness. I grabbed the stock and placed it in the vase and continued my way up the stairs.

I was just about out of breath by the time I trotted up them all, and I once again almost missed the flower laying on the top of the last stair. It was a daisy, which meant innocence and purity. I placed it with the rest and looked around.

There wasn’t another note, but there was a door. I took a moment to catch my breath before I pushed my way through the door and out onto a balcony.

New York lights shone brightly around me, reminding me of the absolute beauty that this city offered at night. But that wasn’t what captured my attention.

Standing at the end of the balcony with his back to me was Lin. Flower petals led the way to where he was standing from the doorway. As the door slammed behind me, Lin spun around and held a hand out to me. I gazed at him, cute as a frickin’ button in that gray sweater.

I took a few steps towards him, then stopped. Why was he doing this? This was way too romantic to be real. The flowers, the notes, the balcony in the New York spring air… It was odd, especially since Lin was doing it all for me.

“Why’d you stop?” Lin’s voice was quiet and sent a pleasant shiver down my spine at the gruffness of it. I continued walking forward.

In the hand that wasn’t extended towards me, Lin was holding a plain red rose, which meant love and passion. Okay, this was definitely a dream…

His hand grasped onto mine, causing me to gasp softly. He gave my fingers a squeeze, reassuring me that this was real. I joined him at the railing and looked across the city. It was rather awkward, since I was still holding the vase of flowers in my left hand. But Lin held onto my hand tightly as we gazed out at the city.

“Lin-Manuel Miranda.” He whispered, the wind blowing his hair elegantly behind him. My lips involuntarily twitched into a smile.

“Cute.” I responded meekly. Lin chuckled and turned to face me. He placed the rose inside of the vase to free his right hand and used it to grab my waist softly. I sucked in a sharp breath as his fingers tickled the spot where my shirt rode up due to being a little too small. “How did you do all of this?” I barely choked out.

Lin smiled, and my heart nearly exploded at the sight. “I had Anthony and Lea’s help.” He admitted, and I mentally made note to confront my two coworkers about it. “Jonathan, listen…”

“Why are you doing this?” I couldn’t help the hostility in my voice, but this wasn’t an everyday occurrence that happened to me, especially with men that I hardly knew.

Lin looked shocked for a moment before he took a deep breath. “I like you, Jonathan. I know it seems silly, because I hardly know you,” my thoughts exactly. “But I really do like you. That’s the only reason I’ve been coming into your store so often.”

“And Oak?” I asked, referring to the yellow rose that Oak had left me. “And the picture?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of flirting?” Lin joked, and I ducked my head with an embarrassed blush. “But seriously. When Jasmine and I came in to see Anthony, and we heard you singing… It’s just been constantly on my mind since. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. So I found excuses to keep coming into your store.” A wobbly smile graced my lips, and Lin’s eyes lit up at the sight. “You really think I’m the type of person who just keeps a vase of orchids at home?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t really know you.” I reminded him.

Lin gave a small ‘ah’ of acknowledgement. “Would you like to?”

I nodded almost right away, not caring if I seemed too eager or desperate. “Yes, yes I would.” I took a step forward and pressed my forehead against the smaller man’s. His eyes were so much bigger up close.

Lin closed his eyes and gave a short sigh. “Well, how about we start right now?”

“Now?” I asked, searching his face.

He nodded. “Jonathan, would you like to go on a date with me?”

“Yes, definitely.” I answered with a giggle.

The rest of the night was spent together on the balcony, learning everything that we could about each other. I had never felt happier. The scents of flowers and Lin surrounded me, giving me a feeling of comfort that I had never known before.

Lin looked so carefree as he sat and laughed with me about the stupidest things. God, was he pretty.

“You’re like a peony.” I said out of the blue.

“A what?”

“A peony.” I responded.

“How so?” Lin inquired.

“You’re pretty.”

Lin just laughed.


	6. 6.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> baseball game grofflin

Lea looked about as excited as a puppy on adoption day as we trotted up the stadium stairs. Her cap sat loosely on her head and bounced every time she took a step, but she looked too wrapped up in her own delight to even notice it.

I had surprised Lea with tickets to a Yankees game for her birthday, and she had been talking about it non-stop since. Granted, it was only a week ago when I had done that, but it was still a constant topic of conversation for her.

We took our seats, which weren’t the greatest, but Lea didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. She situated her cap on her head and took frequent sips of her soda, which she often did when she was nervous or excited. I loved seeing my sister so excited.  
She had just had a nasty break-up and had been depressed ever since. It was nice to see her in something other than pajamas and with a smile on her face. I contemplated going over and breaking her ex-boyfriend’s face, but it didn’t seem worth it. Going after him wasted time that I could be spending on trying to cheer Lea up. Plus, it gave him the false assumption that I gave a shit about him. No matter how satisfying it would be to sock him in the jaw, I never wanted to see that dirtbag again.

“Jonathan, look! The game is starting!” She squealed and gripped onto my upper arm as if it were inanimate and didn’t feel pain. I winced as her fingernails dug into the skin, but let her screech off her excitement. Hopefully she would calm down before the game started, for the sake of my arm.

Players flooded the field. I watched in mild disinterest as the Cubs – the team Lea and I despised (or, she despised – I really had no beef with them at all) – took the outfield. The Yankees were up to bat, and this caused Lea to whoop and holler loudly.

The game was excruciatingly slow. I didn’t want to use my phone because I felt like that would be disrespectful to my sister and I genuinely did want to spend time with her. I just wish that I had chosen an activity that I was going to enjoy a little bit more than baseball.

I spent my time people-watching, coming up with crazy and inaccurate stories about the people who were sitting in the row in front of me. None of them looked particularly interesting, but I had come up with three or four good ones by the time Lea was back down in her seat.

“It’s halftime, Jonathan! Do you want anything to eat?” I shook my head. “Yeah, me neither.” She hooked her arm in mine and laid her head on my shoulder, gazing out onto the field with a dreamy look. “Are you having fun?”

I forced myself to nod, feeling guilty that I was lying to her. “Yep! Definitely!” I responded in a mock cheerful tone. “This was a good idea.”

Lea gazed at me for a long while, the smile on her face bright. “You’re so right, Jonathan. Thank you for this.”

“No problem.” I answered, resting my head on top of hers. Suddenly, another round of cheers started. I glanced up at the jumbotron to see that they were starting with the kiss cam. I watched with a smile as an old man leaned over and kissed his wife on the lips. She looked thrilled as he did so, which warmed my heart.

Next came a blonde girl sitting next to a disinterested boy. As soon as the camera landed on them, she eagerly swatted her partner’s side. He glanced up from his phone for just a moment and puckered his lips. The girl rolled her eyes, but kissed him nonetheless.

A couple more kisses like that happened, with one partner being excited at being on the jumbotron and the second member looking disinterested or uncomfortable.

When the camera was finished with a newlywed couple, a picture of Jonathan and Lea came up on screen. Jonathan froze, an awkward shiver climbing up his spine. He felt Lea lift her head from his shoulder, and was shaking it. “We’re siblings!” She shouted loudly, but the camera did not move.

“Siblings!” I shouted again, pointing my thumb between Lea and I. But still, the camera remained on us. I huffed an annoyed sigh. “What are we going to do, Lea?” I asked.

She shrugged, looking close to crying. The camera was lingering in our direction, as if it were determined to get us to kiss. Suddenly, a horrible idea struck me, and I swallowed as I contemplated it.

It was either kiss my sister, or follow through with my plan. I looked at Lea, who had tears brimming her eyes due to the unwanted attention, and knew what I had to do. Mustering up the courage, I spun around, grabbed the person on my left, and slammed my lips to theirs.

The entire stadium seemed to quiet as I did so, but I was more focused on the intense electricity flowing from my lips. I tangled my fingers in the person’s long hair, which tipped me off that they were female. I melted into the kiss, counting the second in my head to when I could let go.

When twenty seconds had passed, I pulled away, blushing profusely and refusing to meet the eyes of the person I had just made out with. “U-Um, sorry about… About that.” I stammered, trying to hide myself from the jumbotron camera, Lea, and the person to my left.

Suddenly they chuckled, and my heart stopped as I realized it was a deep chuckle. I turned to face the person, surprised to come into contact with a dark-skinned man with long brown hair cascading over his shoulders like a lion’s mane. Even more embarrassed knowing that I had kissed a man on live television in front of a packed stadium of people, I shot up from my seat and booked it out of the building.

“Jonathan!” I heard Lea’s desperate call, but even the sound of that could not lull me from my embarrassed state. I pushed my way through the doors and strolled blindly until I found myself in the bathroom. Almost immediately I turned on the cold water and splashed it across my face several times.

I didn’t know I was crying until I dried my face and still had a source of water on them. I felt my heart hammering in my chest, almost causing me physical pain. I sat down on the cold, stone floor and let it chill my warm body. Why did it have to be a man sitting next to me? Why did I even follow through with my idea? Why didn’t I just leave when I had the chance? A million questions raced through my head.

Too wrapped up in my own pitying thoughts I didn’t hear the door open, but I did hear it slam shut. I rolled over and faced the wall so the random patron couldn’t see me crying, as they had probably just witnessed me kissing a random stranger on the jumbotron.

“Jonathan?” The voice asked, and I felt a lump of worry crawl up my throat. The voice was almost as familiar as the feeling of his lips on mine. I tensed my back as the man took a few steps towards me, and by the bone-popping sound I assumed that he had crouched down behind me. “Are you okay?”

I numbly glanced over my shoulder, hoping not to make eye contact with the man and succeeding as I focused my gaze on the back wall. “What are you doing here?” I asked hoarsely. “Where’s Lea?”

“Back in the stadium.” The man answered, not putting any pressure on me to move or talk if I didn’t feel the need to. “I wanted to see if you were okay with what happened?”

I couldn’t help but scoff. “Don’t you mean if I’m okay after what happened?” I didn’t mean it, but I spoke the words bitterly, as if I were chewing on a rhubarb stem.

The man let out a sigh. “No, I mean with what happened. Kissing another man.” He clarified, and I swallowed that lump of worry. “Especially in front of all those people.”

“You don’t need to remind me!” I spat, whirling around the face the man. I sat on my butt and pressed my back against the wall. The stranger looked shocked for a moment, but he quickly masked that with a sympathetic look.

He sat cross legged across from me, not attempting to physically comfort me, but keeping his respectful distance. “I’m sorry for reminding you. But honestly, I don’t think anyone really cares that much.”

“I do.” I murmured blankly, finally allowing my gaze to rest on him.

He shrugged. “Well, it was either you kissed me or your sister.” I gaped my jaw in a thoughtful manner. “I heard you when you were trying to get the jumbotron off of you.”

“Then why didn’t you do anything to help?” I accused, the angry feeling returning.

The man held my gaze steady. “I didn’t expect you to kiss me.” He sounded honest, and for a moment I let my guard down as his words made sense. “I’m Lin, by the way. It’s less awkward if you know my name now that we’ve kissed.”

I swallowed and thanked him with a weak smile. “Thank you. And I’m sorry for just kissing you out of the blue like that. That was really rude of me.”

Lin shrugged and gave me a genuine smile. “It doesn’t really matter.” He announced, smirking at my confused head nod. “You’re pretty cute.”

Choking back the urge to say anything embarrassing, I felt the blush return to my face and ears. “T-Thank you.” I managed to respond. “You’re not too bad yourself, I guess.” It felt weird to be complimenting a man like that, but the worm of emotion in my stomach was convincing me that they were the right words to say.

“Would you like to go back to the game?” I shook my head as the fear returned. “Okay, okay, we don’t have to. How about I go get Lea and we get some lunch?”

I nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.” Lin gave me a farewell smile and turned to leave, but something in my brain told me to stop him. I reached out and grabbed his upper arm. He stopped, tossing me a quizzical look, but didn’t try and shrug me off.

My body compelled me forward, and before I could think about what I was doing I was pressing my lips to his again in a kiss that was less sloppy and forced than the last one. Lin wrapped his arms around my waist and held me steady, which calmed my racing nerves. I don’t know why I was doing this again, but I felt just as good now as I had the first time. The electricity tickled my lips, giving me a pleasant tingle in my stomach.

When I broke away, Lin’s brown eyes were wide. “I hope that was okay.” I chittered, not making an effort to move away from him.

Lin broke out in a huge grin, and it wasn’t difficult to see the blush on his face. “It was perfect.”

He grabbed my hand in his own and led me out of the bathroom, where Lea was standing there with her arms crossed. She was biting her bottom lip, which was something she did when she was worried. When she noticed Lin and me, I could hear the massive sigh of relief that she gave before she strode across the hall to bury me in a hug.

I chuckled softly. “Let’s get out of here.” I muttered into Lea’s shoulder as I awkwardly hugged her back. One of my hands was still tangled with Lin’s, and he was giving me a sympathetic look. Lea pulled back and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Let’s do it.” She declared, then stopped when she noticed that Lin was holding my hand. I gave her a half-hearted smile, but it didn’t seem to faze her. “And you’ve got some explaining to do.”


End file.
